Higher Education

The de Young Museum is constructing a new $200-million privately funded museum and educational tower in San Francisco ’s Golden Gate Park . The 293,000-sf facility more than doubles the footprint of the previous museum, which was damaged in the 1989 earthquake. Construction began in July 2002, with completion expected in January 2005. The museum, which will be connected to the new $370-million California Academy of Sciences facility by an 800-space parking garage, will open in early fall 2005.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is planning to construct a new breast cancer research institute funded by a $7-million grant from the National Institutes of Health. Designed to allow investigators to better collaborate on research findings, the facility will feature state-of-the-art laboratories and additional research space. The University of Wisconsin was awarded a similar grant last year for the creation of a research institute on prostate cancer.

Robert Morris University has selected Mosites Construction Co. of Robinson Township to build its new football stadium and athletic administration building in Moon Township, Pa. Joe Walton Stadium, featuring 3,000 seats, an artificial turf surface, and locker rooms for teams and officials, is expected to open in September 2005. The stadium will connect to a new 20,000-sf athletic administration facility. The project also includes an all-sports strength and conditioning room and academic tutoring and study rooms. Construction began on June 14, 2005.

Logan College of Chiropractic has opened a $4-million research and learning center in Chesterfield, Mo. Housing a distance learning facility, a computer lab with 75 Internet-equipped workstations, a library, and a collection of human skeletons and skulls, the center will accommodate anatomy and human science studies for students, teachers, and area chiropractors.

The University of California, San Diego has completed construction of the new $45-million Leichtag Family Foundation Biomedical Research Building sited on the School of Medicine campus. General contractor McCarthy’s contract included construction of a four-level, 163,000-sf building with one below-grade level. The research building houses 40,000-sf of wet and dry lab space on four levels with 30 lab modules per floor, cold rooms, procedure rooms, dedicated dark rooms and research offices. The fourth floor houses Howard Hughes Medical Institute-supported research.

The Art Academy of Cincinnati initiated construction on June 7, 2004 on its new campus in Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati, Ohio. Slated for occupancy in less than 500 days, the $12.5 million project involves the transformation of an 80,000-sf industrial building and an adjacent 40,000-sf warehouse into one 120,000-sf facility. The new campus will consolidate the Academy’s two outdated, separate facilities.

Arizona State University is planning to develop the 1.2 million-sf  Scottsdale R&D Center on the 42-acre Los Arcos Mall parcel in Scottsdale, Ariz. To be constructed over the next 5 to 8 years, the $385-million center will focus on biosciences, engineering, and the arts.

Edison Community College is planning an $85-million facility on its Piqua, Fla., campus. Designed to accommodate “Regional Centers of Excellence,” the facility will house the Center for Business and Technology Innovation and Training, the Fine and Performing Arts Center, a library, and a learning center. Completion is expected in early 2007.

Liberty Science Center is planning a comprehensive renovation, renewal, and expansion of its Jersey City, N.J., facility. Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2005 with re-opening slated for early 2007. The project will allow more efficient use of existing interior spaces and the addition of a wing to be located on the northwest side of the building adjacent to the parking lot and a four-story glass atrium on the south side facing Liberty State Park and the Statue of Liberty.

Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., will develop the Center for Bioengineering & Computational Biology with a $1.6-million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Creating new research laboratories and a bioengineering teaching laboratory, the facility will feature an online system by which participants can view results from experiments conducted in the center over the Internet.

The University of California, San Francisco will invest over $500 million on capital projects at its Parnassus campus over the next five years. Planned new construction or renovations include:

The University of North Carolina has broken ground on the new Science Complex at its Chapel Hill campus. Designed by William Wilson Associated Architects of Boston, the center is the largest construction project ever undertaken on campus. Phase 1 of the Science Complex begins with two buildings totaling $7.9 million. The Physics/Marine Science building includes three large lecture halls, an astronomy deck, two floors of marine science, and two floors of physics.

Oregon State University is nearing completion of the $20-million Dixon Recreation Center expansion project in Corvallis, Ore. Designed by Yost Grube Hall of Portland, the expansion has created  60,000 sf of space housing a three-court basketball gymnasium with a suspended running track, two cardio-fitness rooms, two weight rooms, multipurpose rooms and classrooms, an outdoor center, a climbing center, lounges, dining, and locker rooms. The facility is one of the first on campus to integrate sustainable design, using recycled materials and natural light and ventilation systems.

The Albany Academy for Girls dedicated its new $3-million, 23,000-sf athletic facility in Albany, N.Y., on May 14, 2004. The facility is named after David B. Silipigno, the founder of the now defunct National Finance Corp., who donated $775,000 for the facility’s construction.

St. Charles Community College has selected Paric Corp. to develop Phase Four of the Cottleville, Mo., campus building project. Designed by Louis R. Saur & Associates, the project includes classrooms and labs, an enhanced learning center, a bookstore and café, a lecture/performance area, offices, and art studios. Funded by a $23-million bond issue, the project will commence construction in summer of 2005 with completion targeted for January 2007. St. Charles Community College currently accommodates 4,000 full-time students.