Higher Education

The University of Memphis broke ground on a $26 million residence, classroom and office facility in Memphis, Tenn., on June 19 of 2008. Slated for completion by March of 2010, the 127,000-sf project will accommodate 496 students in “living-learning” neighborhoods of between 18 and 22 individuals. LEED Silver certification for sustainable design will be sought for the facility. The project team includes Atkins Buchner Price Architects, Habiterra Architects, and general contractor Flintco, Inc.

Wright State University broke ground on a $9 million renovation of the science laboratories at its Lake Campus in Celina, Ohio, on June 18, 2008. The project will add a total of 27,860-sf to the existing facility with a new science wing housing technology-rich laboratories and a multipurpose center. The general contractor is Brumbaugh Construction of Arcanum, Ohio.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center celebrated the opening of the $110 million Medical Research Building IV in Nashville on June 17, 2008. The 200,000-sf facility houses 86 laboratory modules and is built atop two existing buildings. Three research floors are sited above Light Hall, with five research floors and two vivarium floors above the newly renovated $5.5 million, 1,106-seat Langford Auditorium. The project was designed by Don Blair and Associates with Davis Brody Architects.

The University of Nevada, Reno broke ground on the $50 million Davidson Mathematics and Science Center on June 17, 2008. The integrated 105,000-sf facility will include 27 teaching labs, eight biological science labs, seven chemistry labs, four large classrooms, a 500-seat auditorium, a 50-seat computational classroom, faculty offices, meeting areas, and administration. The project contractor is PENTA Building Group. Completion is slated for August of 2010.

Texas Woman’s University will initiate construction in fall of 2008 on a $26 million renovation of the University’s Denton science facility. The project includes the creation of offices and classrooms in the existing building, which will be joined by a three-story connector to a new laboratory wing. The facility will be built to meet sustainable design criteria without seeking LEED certification.

The University of Waterloo broke ground on the $160 million Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre (QNC) in June of 2008. Uniting research and engineering in quantum information technology and nanotechnology, the five-story facility will house the Institute for Quantum Computing, the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, and undergraduate nanotechnology engineering instruction. The 280,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will include faculty offices, two atria, teaching and research labs, seminar rooms, a 10,000-sf fabrication cleanroom, and a metrology suite.

Bristol University’s £11 million Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information is slated for completion in summer of 2008. Featuring laboratories with extremely low vibration, acoustic noise, and air movement, the £10.6 million, four-story project began construction in October of 2006. The project team includes architect Capita Percy Thomas, contractor Willmott Dixon, and project manager Capita Symonds.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has selected Milwaukee-based CG Schmidt as construction manager for the new $82 million South Campus Union. The project includes demolition of the existing structure and will begin in January of 2009. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which will include recycling of construction waste, use of local building materials, energy-efficient building systems, and daylighting.

Westminster College broke ground on the 60,000-sf Meldrum Science Center in Salt Lake City in late spring of 2008. Housing flexible laboratories, the four-story Meldrum Science Center will seek LEED certification for sustainable design. The project team includes architectural firm of VCBO with Big D Construction as general contractor. The $25 million building will support interdisciplinary science and undergraduate research with integrated lecture laboratories and research facilities. Occupancy is slated for spring of 2010.

Oklahoma State University opened the OSU Multispectral Laboratories in Ponca City in early June of 2008. The 70,000-sf lab is owned by the University and was created in partnership with ConocoPhillips and the city of Ponca City. The $14 million facility is operated by Triton Scientific and will support the development of sensors and security technologies. The project represents the completion of the first phase of renovations to Research East, a building donated to OSU by ConocoPhillips.

The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory is partnering with the University of Houston to create the Texas-NREL Large Blade Research and Test Facility (LBR&TF) in Ingleside, Texas. The facility will be designed, built, and operated by the University of Houston with operational support including $2 million in equipment from NREL. Completion is slated for 2010. The project will provide complete testing of wind turbine blades up to 210 feet long.

Yale University will open the Jeffrey Loria Center for the History of Art in New Haven, Conn., in August of 2008. The 87,000-sf building houses lecture halls, classrooms, gathering spaces, faculty offices, and a café. The facility is part of a newly renovated and expanded complex that includes the restored Art & Architecture building, to be rededicated as Paul Rudolph Hall in November of 2008, and the Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library.

The University of Iowa initiated construction in late spring of 2008 on a $47.7 million building for the College of Public Health in Iowa City. Housing academic and administrative space, the 130,000-gsf facility will consolidate programs currently dispersed in 15 campus locations. Comprised of two wings with five levels each, the project will include an auditorium, classrooms, teaching labs, and faculty offices. LEED Silver certification will be sought for the project, which will include a reflective roof, abundant natural light, permeable paving, and native plants.

The University of Kentucky is constructing the 285,000-gsf Biological/Pharmaceutical Complex in Lexington. The building will house labs, lecture halls, classrooms, offices, and core labs for the College of Pharmacy. Featuring a five-story atrium, the facility is designed around laboratory neighborhoods to promote interaction and collaboration. The design team includes EOP Architects of Lexington as architect of record and Ellenzweig of Cambridge, Ma., as design architect and laboratory planner. Completion is expected by the end of 2009.

The State of New York has selected Swanke Hayden Connell Architects (SHCA) in conjunction with Cameron Engineering to design the new $190 million New York State Center of Innovation and Excellence in Homeland Security in Bethpage, N.Y.  The center will foster the development, evaluation, and deployment of national and state security solutions through applied science.