Higher Education

The University of Pennsylvania has selected SmithGroup to design the Neural and Behavioral Sciences (NBS) building in Philadelphia. Connecting to the existing Carolyn Lynch Laboratory, the facility will house teaching and research space for biology, psychology, and behavioral sciences. Creating a new gateway to the campus, the project will also include an auditorium and space for interdisciplinary programs to foster interaction and collaboration among researchers.

California State University, Fullerton initiated construction on January 23, 2008 on a “trigen” facility. Uniting the three functions of heating, cooling, and electricity, the plant will provide from four to 12 megawatts of electricity. Natural gas will turn a turbine to create electricity; heat generated in that process will power one of the chillers. The design-build contractor for the facility is DMJM Harris. Completion is expected in approximately one year.

Faulkner State Community College will begin construction in summer of 2008 on a three-story, $14 million facility housing nursing education and labs for biology, chemistry, physics, and microbiology on its Fairhope, Ala., campus. Designed by Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects, the 52,000-sf project will include a student center and space for a cinematography training program. Completion is expected in 2009 or 2010.

Kansas State University’s 113,000-sf Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI) in Manhattan, Kansas will provide training in biocontainment operations and maintenance in a March 2008 session. As part of the National Biosafety and Biocontainment Training Program, the session will support the Midwest Regional Center for Excellence, which is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Madison Area Technical College (MATC) dedicated its new $350,000 training laboratory for the Lab Animal Caretaker Program in February of 2008. The facility is owned by McAllen Properties and was built by Ruedebusch Development. Construction reached completion in November of 2007. The laboratory supports instruction in animal health, laboratory hygiene, veterinary terminology, and record keeping. MATC also offers a two-year animal technician program to provide qualified staff for local biotech and drug development companies such as Covance.

The University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine is planning a 1.4 million-sf life science park in Miami, Fla. Sited on 7.2 acres, the development will foster advances in translational research by building partnerships between private biotech and biomedical companies and University researchers. The project was in the design phase in January of 2008 with initial construction expected to begin in 2010.

Sacramento State University is planning a $97 million science complex in Sacramento, Calif. The project includes the Space and Science Center and the Science II building. To be constructed in two phases, the first phase consists of a 15,000-sf facility housing over 200 classrooms and a planetarium. Construction is expected to begin as early as 2009 and reach completion in 2011. The second phase is comprised of a 119,000-sf facility housing laboratories and the departments of chemistry, biology, mathematics, and statistics.

Columbia University is planning to construct the Jerome L. Greene Science Center on 17 acres in the West Harlem area of New York City. Housing multidisciplinary neuroscience research involving computer science, genetics, and psychology, the facility is slated for completion in 2015. The project is part of the first phase of Columbia’s expansion onto the Manhattanville site located two-thirds of a mile from Columbia’s main campus. New buildings for the Columbia Business School and the School of the Arts will be included in phase one.

Boston University’s BioSquare laboratory was recently awarded LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Designed by KlingStubbins of Cambridge, Ma., the 176,000-sf project is located in Boston’s South End neighborhood. Jones Lang LaSalle is the development manager, leasing agent, property manager, and construction manager for the project. The BioSquare complex was built to support innovation in biomedical research and science with the most modern, sophisticated, energy-efficient building systems.

The University of Kansas is constructing a two-story, 8,300-sf laboratory for an individual cancer therapeutics researcher, Blake Peterson, on its Lawrence campus. To be attached to the Structural Biology Center, the facility is funded by $5 million from the Kansas Bioscience Authority. Slated for completion in August of 2008, the laboratory will be used to synthesize molecules for cancer drugs and will include animals such as zebrafish for testing purposes.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University celebrated the opening of its $13 million, 54,225-sf College of Business facility on January 31, 2008. The two-story academic building contains faculty and administrative offices; technology-rich classrooms, seminar rooms; computer labs; and specialized research areas including the Aviation Operations Simulation Lab. Located on the university’s Daytona Beach, Fla., campus, the project is part of $125 million in new and planned construction including an administration building and a worldwide division headquarters facility.

The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill will begin construction in March of 2008 on a new chemistry building to replace the 80-year-old Venable Hall. The $123 million facility is slated for completion by August of 2010. Housing teaching and research space for chemistry, marine science, physics, astronomy, and computer science, the building will feature a 400-seat lecture hall and a new science library. The replacement facility is the last phase of UNC’s new Science Complex construction, which began in 2001.

Northern Arizona University’s Applied Research and Development (ARD) Building was awarded a LEED Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council in January of 2008. The project was designed by Burns Wald-Hopkins Architects and built by Kitchell Construction. The top floor of the three-story facility will house NAU's Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics. The 59,821-sf facility, which opened in September of 2008, is the most sustainably designed building in Arizona and one of the top three greenest buildings in the world.

Missouri State University is planning to construct an electromagnetic device fabrication laboratory at the Jordan Valley Innovation Center (JVIC) in Springfield. Funded by a $125,000 donation from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, the facility will enable scientists from academia and industry to engage in nanotechnology research and development to create devices that can sense heat, radio, or microwave energy for defense and homeland security applications.

The University of Pennsylvania has selected SmithGroup to provide master planning, programming, and schematic design for a new School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) Neural and Behavioral Sciences (NBS) Building in Philadelphia. The facility unites the Psychology, Biology, Genomics Institute, and Biological Basis of Behavior departments under one roof, creating synergy in teaching and research.