Higher Education

Forsyth Technical Community College opened its new $11.1-million technology and student services building on March 2, 2006. The five-story, 87,155-sf building is the largest on campus and houses 29 classrooms and labs, 60 faculty and staff offices, three lecture halls, four biology labs, a training room, a bookstore, and the student government association office. The project team included architectural firm Ersoy & Associates of Winston-Salem and contractor JM Thompson Construction of Raleigh, N.C.

Northern Essex Community College has completed its new Technology Center in Haverhill, Mass. The state-of-the-art education and training facility, sited in the Greater Merrimack Valley Community, was designed by Miller Dyer Spears. The school's first new building in over 30 years, the $6.9-million, 30,000-sf facility is comprised of a two-story classroom wing, a large multipurpose room, and a grand foyer.

Cal State Fullerton has completed its new $48.5-million, 109,000-sf Performing Arts Center. Housing rehearsal, laboratory, studio and technical space for theater, dance, music, and musical theater, the facility includes the 800-seat Vaughncille Joseph Meng Concert Hall, which features customized acoustics with fabric banners, Roman shades, and a circular 1,500-sf acoustical canopy that is raised or lowered to suit each performance. The center also includes the black box Millie & Dale Hallberg Theatre and the thrust-style James D. Young Theatre.

Emory University has selected Boston-based Payette to conduct a feasibility study encompassing a precinct master plan for a replacement medical center for Emory University Hospital, Wesley Woods Hospital, and the Emory Clinic. The project, known as the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, allows for new research facilities to be adjacent to the diagnosis and treatment chassis connecting bench to bed. The first phase of implementation is estimated to be a 600,000-gsf multidisciplinary outpatient clinic and translational research building.

Johns Hopkins University is constructing a new 80,000-sf computer sciences building on its Homewood campus in Baltimore, Md. The $30-million facility will house the Institute for Computational and Mathematical Life Sciences and an interdisciplinary robotics group. THe building is unusual for the university in that it doesn't contain wet lab space but does feature a large central lounge to foster interaction between researchers. Completion is expected as early at June of 2007.

McGill University is constructing the $53-million Bellini Life Sciences Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Designed as the anchor facility for the largest research complex of its kind in eastern Canada, the project is funded by $21.3-million from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, matching funds from the Government of Quebec, a $17.5-million grant from Quebec's Minstere de la Recherche, Science et Technologies, and a $10-million donation from Dr. Francesco Bellini.

Canisius College will begin construction in late 2007 on a $45-million interdisciplinary science center in Buffalo, N.Y. Sited on 3.5 acres, the 237,000-sf facility will consolidate the college's programs in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, bioinformatics, environmental science, psychology, physics, computer science, and mathematics.

Texas Christian University (TCU) has selected Cannon Design in association with Hahnfeld Associates to design a new university union on the school's Forth Worth campus. The 140,000-sf building will house casual gathering places for students, food service facilities, retail spaces, student government offices, and an auditorium. Construction will begin in summer of 2006. As a "fusion" facility, the project will combine several different student services and activities under one roof.

The University of Louisiana (ULL) is engaged in over $50-million in capital projects on its Lafayette campus. A $7.5-million, 15,000-sf computer science building is slated for completion by year-end 2006. The three-story facility will house classrooms, labs, conference rooms, and an auditorium. Construction was completed in January 2006 on a $1.3-million expansion of the Marine Survival Training Center.

The University of Washington will begin renovating laboratories at the Washington Regional Primate Research Center in Seattle in spring of 2006. Currently equipped for BSL-2 research, the primate facility will be upgraded to meet new research standards. The project is funded in part by $3.7-million from the National Center for Research Resources (NCCR). Completion is expected by year-end 2006.

Keene State College's (KSC) Science Center received an Honor Award from the New Hampshire chapter of the AIA for creative renovation and energy conservation. KSC saved $5.5-million in construction costs on the project by working within the existing structure. The 93,640-sf project included complete renovation of the existing structure and a 37,940-sf addition housing labs for biology and chemistry. The addition increases floor-to-floor heights and utilizes low-flow fume hoods connected to an enthalpy heat recovery system. 

The University of South Florida (USF) will break ground in spring of 2006 on the 70,000-sf Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation at the University Research Park in Tampa. Expected to cost between $60-million and $70-million, the center will house laboratories for physician skill training, medical product development, and a virtual hospital and simulation center. The facility will bring R&D and surgical skills training together under one roof. Completion is expected in late summer to late fall of 2007.

Simmons College will construct a 65,500-sf facility for the School of Management on its Fenway campus in Boston. The five-story building is expected to reach completion in two and a half years and will include a new quadrangle and underground parking. The facility is targeted for certification by the U.S. Green Building Council for design elements such as lower energy consumption, materials used, air quality, and natural lighting.

Texas A&M University-Commerce opened its new $28-million Science Building in January 2006. The three-story, 110,000-sf facility will be officially dedicated on April 4, 2006. The building will house the departments of physics, chemistry, biology, and earth and environmental sciences.

The University of California, San Diego is nearing topping out on the new $30-million, 110,000-sf Student Academic Services facility in La Jolla. Designed by Rob Wellington Quigley of San Diego, the five-story building is being constructed by McCarthy. Featuring a 300-seat multipurpose room and two restaurants, the facility will combine all student services formerly located throughout the campus including financial aid, registration, and admissions.