Higher Education

Michigan State University (MSU) has selected SHW of Plano, Texas to design a 32,000-sf education facility in Dubai’s International Academic City (DIAC). The $2.5 million project will house MSU’s Construction Management, Family and Community Services, Communication Arts, and Computer Engineering programs. SHW designers are taking two floors of shell space in a new building through programming, conceptual design, schematic design, and design development, which includes mechanical, electrical and architectural development.

The University of Utah received $1.25 million from the Micron Technology Foundation to support the creation of a nanofabrication research and teaching laboratory in Salt Lake City, Utah. The gift will support construction of a core nanofabrication facility in a 185,000-sf building under development for the new Utah Science, Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative. The nanofabrication laboratory, which will occupy 10 percent of the building, will be built with vibration-free cleanroom technology.

The University of Guelph received $9.5 million from the Ontario government in February of 2008 to create a primary care teaching hospital for the Ontario Veterinary College. The research and education facility will provide an enhanced clinical learning environment for small animal care and enable the college to expand training in nutrition, health and wellness. The University is also receiving $8.1 million to support energy efficiency, infrastructure, and safety improvements.

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston will begin construction in early 2010 on a $90 million general research building. Located adjacent to UTMB’s Primary Care Pavilion, the laboratory and office building is slated for completion in 2012. The 140,000-sf facility will reach four to five stories high and will contain 76,000-sf of dedicated research space.

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.