Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School opened its Patient Simulation Learning Center in May of 2007. Comprised of two mock hospital rooms and a control room, the facility features simulator mannequins with computerized controls attached to monitors for training in nursing. Construction of the center was completed by the 19 school shops including digital media, carpentry, electrical, and design.
Grand Valley State University is engaged in seven construction projects totaling approximately $100 million. On its Grand Rapids, Mich., campus, the $16 million John C. Kennedy Hall of Engineering is nearing completion with classes already under way. The facility houses 21 lab and support spaces, a 70-seat lecture hall, three computer-aided technology studios, and a green roof. Occupancy of the new engineering building will allow renovations to Eberhard Center, which will reopen in fall of 2007.
The University of New Mexico Cancer Treatment and Clinical Research Facility broke ground on its Albuquerque facility in May of 2007. Housing comprehensive cancer services, the facility is the first phase of a 190,000-sf, $90 million ambulatory cancer treatment and clinical research facility. Occupancy is slated for early 2009. The project will accommodate patient care, imaging, diagnosis, radiotherapy, radiosurgery, robotic surgery, and novel radioisotopes programs in collaboration with the State of New Mexico’s national laboratories.
The University of Leeds opened the Wellcome Trust Brenner Building of the Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine (LIMM) on May 14, 2007. The £20 million multidisciplinary facility will house biomedical research for identifying the molecules involved in human diseases with a focus on therapy discovery. The Wellcome Trust Brenner Building is sited at St. James’ University Hospital and houses six floors of state-of-the-art laboratories.
Union University dedicated the 63,345-sf White Hall in Jackson, Tenn., in May 2007. Housing the School of Nursing and the departments of biology and chemistry, the three-story, $20-million building includes 20 teaching laboratories, seven lecture halls, three conference rooms, 42 offices, and an NMR facility. The facility also includes patient simulators for nurse training including an operating room, ICU, and a labor and delivery suite. The project was completed in a year and a half.
The University of North British Columbia opened its $31 million teaching and learning center in Prince George, B.C., in May 2007. Designed by Stantec Architects and built by Bird Construction, the four-story facility features a 68-foot atrium. The 92,000-sf facility houses 41 labs, 183 offices, 11 study areas, eight classrooms, and a video conferencing room.
The College of DuPage has chosen Gilbane Building Company as construction manager for two new projects on the Glen Ellyn campus. The buildings are being constructed in partnership with architects HOK and DeStefano + Partners, respectively. The $50 million Health Careers & Natural Sciences Building will be located on an existing six-acre parcel. The 188,000-sf facility will house a combination of laboratory, classroom, office, and instructional space.
The University of Dubuque dedicated its newly renovated and expanded University Science Center on May 11, 2007, in Dubuque, Iowa. The renovated 32,000-sf Goldthorp Hall and the 21,000-sf Mary Chlapaty Hall addition accommodate flexible technology-rich laboratories for geology, zoology, biology, microbiology, general and organic chemistry, nursing, and geographical information systems. The multi-level Walter and Barbara Peterson Atrium connects the two buildings and provides a gathering, study, and interaction space.
Three of the Claremont Colleges, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer and Scripps, are planning to construct a second science building across from the Keck Science Center in Claremont, Calif. Designed by SRG Partnership, the project is estimated to be at least 60,000 sf with 40,000 nsf of laboratory space. The multidisciplinary facility includes research and teaching laboratories for natural science, physics, biology, and chemistry. The project will include a vivarium and a greenhouse.
Nanyang Technological University is planning to develop a graduate bioengineering research center at it new campus near Buona Vista in Singapore. The projected facility will engage up to 200 investigators with a focus on biology, mathematics, and engineering in cross-disciplinary research. The center is expected to be developed in 2008.
The University of Texas at Arlington is constructing a new 235,123-gsf engineering facility to house laboratories for research, teaching, computer science, and design, as well as faculty and graduate offices. The project, which will include selective renovation of three existing facilities, will also house labs and offices for the biomedical engineering department and a science and engineering library. The preliminary project cost is $80.4 million.
Hastings College has approved the design of the Morrison-Reeves Science Center. Comprised of 52,600 sf, the initial total project construction budget goal is between $7.5 million and $8 million. The building will provide classrooms, teaching laboratories, and office space for physics, chemistry, biology and psychology, as well as a greenhouse, animal suite, conference room and student lounge.
Luther College broke ground on May 11, 2007, on the 64,000-sf Sampson Hoffland Science Laboratories and Research Center in Decorah, Iowa. Slated for completion in fall of 2008, the $20 million facility will house biology and chemistry facilities including 17 teaching labs, 21 faculty offices, collaborative faculty-student research areas, and 4,800 sf of student study space. The project will be constructed to LEED® sustainable design standards and will feature lighting controls and technologies to conserve energy including specialized HVAC systems.
Louisiana Tech University celebrated the opening of its $12 million biomedical engineering building in Ruston, La., in early May of 2007. The facility is connected to the Institute for Micromanufacturing and features technologically rich laboratories, classrooms, collaboration spaces, and faculty offices as well as an economic development incubator called the Humana Enterprise Center. Construction was completed in two years. Future plans for the university include a $25 million research park in Ruston.
Arkansas State University initiated construction on a $4.7 million, 24,000-sf health sciences building on its Mountain Home, Ark., campus in early May 2007. Housing programs in registered, certified, and practical nursing, phlebotomy, respiratory care, and emergency medical technician training, the facility is slated for completion by July 2008. The general contractor for the project is Samco Construction of Cabot.
