Higher Education

The University of Oregon will begin construction in fall 2005 on the $8.5-million Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnology Institute (ONAMI) facility in Eugene, Ore. To be constructed entirely underground, the 19,000-sf single-floor project will be excavated, anchored to the bedrock, and then covered up again to provide maximum stability and vibrational isolation for the facility's specialized instrumentation. Other projects at the University include:

Construction is sixty percent complete on Marshall University 's Robert G. Byrd Biotechnology Center in Huntington, W.V. The $42-million, six-story structure will accommodate two auditoriums, three teaching labs, several conference rooms, and approximately 45 laboratories. Slated for completion in fall 2006, the facility will be open for classes in January 2007. The center is the Marshall University's largest capital improvement project to date.

The University of Florida will initiate construction on a new multidisciplinary research facility on its Gainesville campus by late fall 2005. Slated for completion in spring 2006, the project will accommodate research for the UF Genetics Institute, the UF Shands Cancer Center, and the Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research. The six-story, 350,000-sf building will house research laboratories, animal research facilities, faculty and administrative offices, and a rooftop greenhouse.

Seoul National University began construction in August 2005 on the $25-billion won Hwang Woo-suk Research Center in Kwanak, Korea. The state-of-the-art medical bioengineering laboratory will accommodate research in primate studies, molecular biology, cell transplants, animal cloning, and stem cell research. Completion is expected in October 2006.

The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is planning to construct a 730,000-sf office building in Houston. The $145-million facility will be called Faculty Center and will consolidate faculty, academic departmental space, and administrative functions currently housed in leased locations beyond the M.D. Anderson campus. The Research Medical Library will also be relocated to the new building. Construction will begin on the 21-story facility in November 2005 with occupancy expected in spring 2008.

The University of Alaska (UAF) is constructing the $19-million Biological Research and Diagnostics Facility on its Fairbanks campus. Slated for completion in July 2006, the 42,000-sf facility will accommodate space for small animal research, necropsy, a diagnostics laboratory, and an incinerator. UAF received a $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health in late 2005 to enable the project to reach completion.

The University of Michigan-Dearborn is constructing the two-story, 46,000-sf Engineering Building. Designed by Lord, Aeck & Sargent to reflect the automotive industry heritage of the campus, the $12.8-million facility is slated for completion in December 2006. The building features a 12,000-sf, two-story high-bay laboratory housing a 30-foot-high pivoting radial crane that will be used in research by faculty and students in the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences (CECS) Institute for Advanced Vehicle Systems.

Princeton University has selected Hopkins Architects (design architect) and Payette (architect of record) to design its new chemistry building. The 200,000-sf to 300,000-sf facility will relocate the chemistry department to Princeton's new science neighborhood to promote interdisciplinary collaboration at the University. Construction is expected to begin in late 2007 and reach completion in 2010.

Vanderbilt University initiated construction in August 2005 on the Institute of Imaging Sciences (VUIIS) in Nashville, Tenn. Slated for completion in summer of 2006, the $26.7-million project will house a new $7-million, 7-tesla magnet on the ground floor that will be shielded with 400 metric tons of steel. The magnet will be installed in December 2005 and will be used in medical research for near-term identification of therapies and disease cures.

Sonoma State University has completed its LEED® Silver-certified Student Recreation Center in Rohnert Park, Calif. Designed by Irvine-based LPA, the building features a 40-foot high climbing/bouldering wall and a student gathering space. The building is the first on campus to use the LEED® rating system as a guideline for design. Utilizing proper orientation and an efficient exterior skin, the facility is 50 percent more efficient than a typical Title 24 building.

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is designing a new biomedical research building that will be sited on its Dallas campus. Slated to begin construction in May 2006, the $20 million facility will be built by St. Louis-based McCarthy. Perkins & Will is designing the four-story, 75,000-sf building which will have dedicated lab space on the first two floors and shell space on the top two floors. Completion is expected in November 2007.

The University of Chicago will begin construction in fall 2005 on the $31-million Howard T. Ricketts Laboratory, a germ research facility to be located at Argonne National Laboratory, which the University manages for the federal government.

Swansea University will complete construction of its Institute of Life Science in South West Wales by year-end 2006. The six-story biology-based research facility will house a business incubator to develop commercial applications of scientific discoveries. The building will also feature a very large research computer, Blue C, in a laboratory with an area called the Virtual Reality Cave.

Mercer University is planning to construct a new $14-million science and engineering building on its Macon campus. Sited next to the Mercer School of Medicine, the two-story, 52,000-sf facility will house a 150-seat auditorium, a materials-testing system, laboratories, specialized classrooms, and small rooms for student design and research projects. The facility will enable Mercer to support the nearby Warner Robins Air Logistics Center with skilled engineers and scientists.

Auburn University will break ground in early fall of 2005 on a research park and incubator in Auburn, Ala. Designed by Sasaki Associates of Boston, the two-building development will provide incubator space for the commercialization of research discoveries in the first phase of construction. The first building is slated for occupancy in late 2006 with the second building reaching completion in early 2007.