Higher Education

The University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine opened the expanded John and Ann Tickle Small Animal Hospital in Knoxville in April of 2008. Construction began in February of 2007 on the $10 million, 32,000-sf addition. The project includes clinical space, small animal infectious disease isolators, a $1.5 million linear accelerator for radiation oncology, medical oncology, and avian and zoological medicine. A canine rehabilitation area includes a heated therapy pool and two new underwater treadmills.

The Stanford University School of Medicine officially broke ground on the 120,000-sf Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge in Stanford, Calif., on April 25, 2008. The technology-rich five-story facility will house the medical school’s education and training programs and is designed to foster interdisciplinary team-based learning. The Li Ka Shing Center will include the Center for Immersive and Simulation-based Learning, featuring a simulated operating room, intensive care unit, and emergency room with mannequins that both bleed and breathe.

Stony Brook Southampton, an affiliated college of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is initiating a $7 million renovation and expansion of the Marine Science Research Center at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences in Southampton, N.Y.  The 7,500-sf facility will be expanded to 14,000-sf and will house laboratories for aquaculture research and education. Additionally, Stony Brook Southampton is planning a $7.5 million expansion of its student center. LEED certification will be sought for both projects. 

The University of Pittsburgh approved $120 million in capital projects in April of 2008. A $64 million, 27,000-sf mezzanine level will be built in Benedum Hall at the Swanson School of Engineering housing classrooms, labs, and upgraded HVAC systems. A $21 million project will add a 38,000-sf wing to the Falk Laboratory School and renovate 26,000-sf in the existing Falk facility.

The University of New England (UNE) broke ground on an academic and research facility for its College of Pharmacy in April of 2008. Located at UNE's Westbrook College Campus in Portland, the 48,000-sf project will house laboratories for pharmaceuticals and sterile products, pharmacy practice rooms, classrooms, faculty and administrative offices, a drug information center, and a 10,000-sf research floor. Completion is slated for summer of 2009. LEED certification will be sought for the project.

Northwestern University has selected Flad Architects to design two new additions to the 750,000-sf Technological Institute in Evanston, Ill. A 54,000-gsf, five-story life sciences engineering addition will house the Integrated Molecular Structure Education and Research Center, electrical engineering teaching labs, core labs, and researcher offices. A 20,000-gsf, three-story addition will include an interdisciplinary cleanroom, an atrium, offices, dry labs, and flexible laboratory space.

Michigan State University broke ground on the $90 million Secchia Center in Grand Rapids in April of 2008. Housing MSU’s College of Human Medicine, the project will support medical education and biomedical research in the areas of cancer, obesity, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and neurobiology. The 180,000-sf, seven-story facility will include teaching laboratories, classrooms, offices, and student areas. The Secchia Center is slated for occupancy in fall of 2010.

Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science broke ground on the $43 million Life Sciences Research and Nursing Education Building in Los Angeles on April 18, 2008. The two-story, 63,000-sf building will house comprehensive nursing instruction for the Mervyn S. Dymally School of Nursing, and biomedical and clinical research laboratories for the College of Medicine and the College of Science and Health. Completion is expected by fall 2009. The architectural firm for project is HOK.

The University of British Columbia is engaged in a $45 million expansion and renovation of the Sauder School of Business in Vancouver. The project contractor is Scott Construction, a subsidiary of Vancouver-based Aecon Group. The project will create new career and business centers and will involve the renovation of a five-story lecture hall and library. Completion is slated for October 2009.

The State University of New York at Oswego is planning the renovation and expansion of the existing 80,000-sf Piez Hall to create a 262,000-sf state-of-the-art science center. The first phase of the project, designed by Cannon Design, consists of renovations to Piez Hall and the construction of a 50,000-sf addition; groundbreaking is slated for summer of 2008. The second phase involves the construction of a $69.5 million, 132,000-sf laboratory building fronting Piez Hall.

Lewis and Clark Community College initiated construction on the $16.5 million National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) Field Station in April of 2008. Located adjacent to the Great Rivers Museum in Alton, Ill., the river research facility will incorporate sustainable design elements including a vegetative roof, bamboo floors, innovative waste water technology, and on-site wind and hydro power. LEED Platinum certification will be sought for the project.

SUNY Upstate Medical University is planning $300 million in improvements to its Syracuse, N.Y. campus. Funded by $320 million from the state of New York, the university will initiate a $72 million expansion of the Institute for Human Performance, creating needed research laboratories and constructing an 85,000-sf addition. A $150 million project will build new heart and cancer centers and modernize inpatient rooms at University Hospital.

The University of Michigan dedicated the Robert H. Lurie Nanofabrication Facility at the School of Engineering in Ann Arbor on April 12, 2008. Designed by SmithGroup, the project is a 32,000-sf addition to the existing Solid State Electronics Laboratory (SSEL) cleanroom facility. Featuring a three-level cleanroom concept, the project includes a fab, sub-fab, and mechanical space.

The University of British Columbia has selected Toronto-based Diamond + Schmitt Architects in joint venture with CEI Architecture and Planning to design the new Faculty of Law building in Vancouver. This new facility is designed to meet the needs of a new generation of law students and legal researchers, replacing the existing Law School, currently housed in two aging structures. The 13,500-sm building will provide space for more than 50 faculty members, 600 undergraduates, and 100 graduate students.

San Diego Mesa College is constructing the 49,000-sf Allied Health building in Linda Mesa, Calif. The contractor for the $20 million project is McCarthy. The facility will house a computer lab, classrooms, faculty and staff offices, and medical training laboratories for physical therapy, dentistry, and clinical skills. Completion is scheduled for August 2008.