Higher Education

Time and money restrictions are prompting some universities to ditch plans for new construction in favor of renovation or expansion to accommodate their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. Opting to renovate requires stakeholders to evaluate the existing building for the ability to accommodate the equipment and infrastructure needed to provide the best user experiences in the most versatile spaces, the highest level of productivity, and ample flexibility for future programs.

The College of William & Mary is expanding the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) with the construction of a $74 million research building in Gloucester Point. Chesapeake Bay Hall will provide a new home for the Institute's four academic departments: Aquatic Health Sciences, Biological Sciences, Fisheries Science, and Physical Sciences. The three-story, 64,000-sf structure will feature sophisticated wet and dry labs, an interactive teaching lab, collaboration spaces, conference rooms, and faculty offices.

Cornell University broke ground in October of 2022 on a $100 million facility for the Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science in Ithaca, N.Y. Designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates, the four-story, 133,000-sf structure will collocate the departments of computer science, information science, and statistics and data science in a single unified complex.

Vermeulens has released its market outlook report for the third quarter of 2022. Key points include:

The University of Utah broke ground in October of 2022 on the $185 million Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine in Salt Lake City. Designed by VCBO and Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign, the 185,000-sf facility will feature flexible learning studios that can be subdivided to accommodate a variety of class sizes. With integrated technologies to support hybrid and remote instruction, the highly collaborative structure will include a state-of-the-art simulation center and a modern gross anatomy lab.

The University of Michigan broke ground in October of 2022 on the $145 million Leinweber Computer Science and Information Building in Ann Arbor. Designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners, the 164,000-gsf facility will collocate the School of Information and the College of Engineering’s Computer Science and Engineering Division. The technology-rich complex will feature research labs and reconfigurable classrooms for programs in artificial intelligence, machine learning, human-computer interaction, and information privacy and security.

Trinity University opened Dicke Hall in September of 2022 in San Antonio. Designed by Lake Flato, the 40,000-sf facility provides next-generation learning environments for the Department of English, the Department of Religion, and the Humanities Collective. Putting a modern spin on how these timeless academic disciplines are explored, the three-story building serves as a gathering place for students and faculty to exchange ideas, offering numerous collaboration spaces, a screening room, a large lecture hall, and a variety of flexible classrooms.

Indiana University broke ground in October of 2022 on the $230 million Medical Education Building in Indianapolis. Designed by Perkins&Will and Browning Day, the 326,000-gsf complex will provide the School of Medicine with state-of-the-art environments for teaching and research. Featuring a spacious atrium, the first three floors of the 11-story building will house classrooms, lecture halls, and a café. Specialized rooms for learning communities will encourage small groups to interact and collaborate.

The University of Missouri (MU) has undertaken a major space reduction and relocation project on its main Columbia campus, with a goal of eliminating 1 million gsf by 2024—250,000 gsf more than originally planned. A shortage of maintenance funding prompted the project, as the school faced an $881 million backlog in deferred maintenance and building needs for the affected properties. Over the past 10-15 years, the state has experienced financial challenges resulting in stagnant or reduced maintenance funding, and tuition-generated funding cannot make up the difference needed for proper building maintenance. The Strategic Space Reduction and Relocation Plan will reduce the university’s current deferred maintenance and capital needs backlog by over $200 million and save approximately $9 million in annual operations costs if the stated goals are met. By the end of 2022, MU will have eliminated 623,917 gsf through demolition and divesting of properties.

Since its opening in 2017, the University of Idaho’s 78,500-gsf Integrated Research and Innovation Center (IRIC) has attracted a cumulative total of $144 million in grant funding, roughly 20 percent of all the research dollars coming to the school. Among other signs of success, the $52 million, three-story structure has hosted 30 different research teams whose work has generated 35 Ph.Ds., 77 master’s degrees, and close to 900 publications. Offering wet and dry labs, offices, collaboration spaces, core research facilities, and event space, the building breaks away from the traditional research paradigm to focus on projects rather than faculty or departments. But the design and operation have presented some challenges in the first five years, including a wall of south-facing windows, concrete lab flooring, and a small loading dock.

The University of Florida broke ground in October of 2022 on the Bruno E. And Maritza F. Ramos Collaboratory in Gainesville. Designed by Brooks + Scarpa, the $32 million development will add two curving wings to the existing home of the School of Design, Construction and Planning. Featuring a digital modeling and fabrication studio with 3D printers, the 50,000-sf expansion will accommodate interactive research venues, technology-enabled classrooms, seminar rooms, a multipurpose lecture hall, and a virtual design and construction lab.

The University of Nevada opened the Medical Education Building in Las Vegas in October of 2022. Designed by TSK Architects and CO Architects, the five-story, 135,000-sf facility represents the first permanent home for the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. The highly collaborative building provides problem-based learning spaces, teaching labs, administrative offices, a student lounge, a fitness center, a café, and a triple-height forum for gatherings and events.

Considered one of the first and largest university-level makerspace programs in the country, the Bernard M. Gordon Learning Factory on Penn State University’s main campus in State College, Pa., has operated in its original building for more than 30 years with only minimal facility renovations. It will soon relocate to 103,000 sf in one of two new state-of-the-art academic engineering buildings under construction on the campus, a move that the Learning Factory program director says will help the program continue to compete with the growing number of makerspaces being established throughout the academic marketplace. The Learning Factory, which pairs students with more than 100 industry sponsors each year, is scheduled to begin prototyping several classes in the new facility in January 2023, with full occupancy targeted for that summer.

The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute, a nonprofit research organization affiliated with MIT and Harvard University, is expanding its presence in Cambridge with the long-term lease of a 225,000-sf facility. Developer Boston Properties is transforming an existing six-story building at 300 Binney Street into a state-of-the-art biomedical hub where interdisciplinary teams will engage in collaborative research and discovery.

Claremont McKenna College broke ground in October of 2022 on the Robert Day Sciences Center in Claremont, Calif. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the 135,000-sf facility will provide the Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences with classrooms, collaboration spaces, teaching and research labs, and faculty offices. The open, light-filled structure will embody the convergence of computational, life, and social sciences by supporting a progressive pedagogy focused on three key areas: Gene, Brain, and Planet.