Higher Education

Stonehill College will break ground on a $34 million science center in Easton, Mass., in September of 2007. Featuring a large atrium between two academic wings housing biology, biochemistry, chemistry, neuroscience, physics, psychology, and environmental studies, the 89,000-sf project will contain laboratories, classrooms, and faculty offices. The interdisciplinary project is designed to foster collaboration and interaction and is expected to open in September of 2009.

The University of Pennsylvania is working with Rafael Viñoly of Rafael Viñoly Architects PC to design a $370 million biomedical research facility in Philadelphia. The project will be collocated with two buildings currently under construction, the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, slated to open in 2008, and the Roberts Proton Therapy Center, slated to open in 2009. The ten-story facility will feature translational and interdisciplinary research and will open in the summer of 2010.

Westminster College in Salt Lake City is planning to begin construction on a new Science Center in fall of 2007. The facility will house the biology, chemistry, geology and physics departments of the College of Arts and Sciences. The project will include classrooms, teaching laboratories, office spaces, shared facilities, and support. The architect is VCBO Architecture with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant. Completion is slated for spring of 2009.

The University of California, Santa Cruz is designing a new 17,000-sf Environmental Health & Safety Facility. Housing laboratories, a temporary waste handling facility, administrative offices, training classroom, and support space, the facility will be able to meet the increased requirements of the growing campus for hazardous materials handling and other critical life, health, and safety services. The project budget is estimated at $13 million.

The University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are planning to construct the 160,000-gsf Helios Project. The facility will develop transformational energy alternatives to the United States' current reliance on fossil fuels through the research and development by UC Berkeley chemists, physicists, material scientists, and biologists. To meet this goal, a new facility is proposed for construction on the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory site.

Ohlone College will complete the Newark Center for Health Sciences and Technology in December of 2007. The 135,000-sf project is sited on 80 acres in Newark, Calif., a new campus in addition to the college's main Fremont location. The facility will accommodate 3,500 students in the fields of biotechnology, healthcare, and environmental technology as well as programs in nursing, physical therapy, and renewable energy.

Wayne State University has completed a $20 million renovation of the Gordon Scott Hall Basic Medical Sciences building in Detroit. Renovating 40,000 sf of research, teaching, and administrative space, the project increased usable square footage by 20 percent. Housing four open lab zones for comparative and collective research with separate areas for specialized equipment, the project also created space for four additional faculty members.

Cornell University celebrated the opening of the 79,000-square-foot East Campus Research Facility (ECRF) on June 26, 2007. Housing approximately 45,000 mice, including transgenic strains, the $55-million building will also accommodate rats, woodchucks, guinea pigs, hamsters, and chickens. Part of Cornell's $600-million New Life Sciences Initiative, the consolidated animal research facility was five years in the making and is expected to be fully operational in fall of 2007. The project was designed by Philadelphia-based Ballinger.

Arizona State University has selected HDR Architecture and Steven Ehrlich Architects as the design team for the new Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building (ISTB) IV in Tempe. The ISTB IV building is planned as a 250,000-sf structure comprised of high technology research, laboratory, and office space. Planning efforts indicate an estimated project cost of $140 million.

Florida State University broke ground on the $17 million Materials Research Building in Tallahassee’s Innovation Park in June of 2007. Slated for completion by fall of 2008, the two-story, 44,000-sf building will include 13 laboratories and will house the High Performance Materials Institute and FSU’s Center of Excellence in Advanced Materials. The facility will accommodate research, design, processing, and characterization of advanced composites.

The Texas A&M University System is involved in almost $700 million in construction projects in College Station and Bryan, Texas. The $130 million Health Science Center is planned for a 200-acre site in West Bryan. The $95 million, 200,000-sf Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building will house labs, classrooms, and offices. The $100 million, 230,000-sf Emerging Technologies & Economic Development Building will house engineering teaching and research and is slated for completion by March of 2011.

The University of West Georgia (UWG) has selected Skanska USA Building as construction manager for the new Health, Wellness and Lifelong Learning Center in Carrollton. Rosser International will serve as architect of record. Construction will begin in July of 2007. The project, a 120,000-square foot facility, includes an arena and multiple ball courts that will also provide space for commencement ceremonies. With a capacity for approximately 7,500 people, the arena will be home to the UWG basketball and volleyball teams.

Marshall University opened the 80,000-sf Clinical Education and Outreach Center on June 4, 2007. The $23.5 million, four story facility houses educational spaces including a 125-seat tiered classroom, study areas, exam rooms, clinical skills labs, clinical space including general internal medicine, and a rehabilitation center.

Dominican University will complete construction in August of 2007 of its $20 million science and technology center in San Rafael, Calif. The 35,000-sf facility will house nine teaching laboratories, seven research laboratories with a footprint of 600 sf each, centralized student lounges, and $3 million in laboratory equipment.

DePaul University broke ground in June 2007 on a $37.5 million science building in Chicago. The four story, 100,000-sf facility will feature 23 research labs and eight teaching labs, and will house the department of chemistry as well as classes in biology and environmental science. The building will also include two rooftop greenhouses, one for research and one for teaching. Energy efficient design will be incorporated and used as a teaching tool. The facility will be connected via a second floor walkway to the McGowan Biological and Environmental Sciences Building.