The University of California San Diego has completed the $30.6-million Powell-Focht Bioengineering Building in La Jolla. Located on a four-acre site, the 110,000-sf structure was built to house facilities for both public and private foundations conducting research in the life sciences bioengineering sector. The design fosters collaboration across all engineering and biomedical disciplines.
The University of San Diego will celebrate the grand opening of the Donald P. Shiley Center for Science and Technology on June 28, 2003. The 150,000-sf facility, the largest on the USD campus, is expected to become a major training ground for the biotechnology sector in Southern California. The building’s 70 laboratories include facilities for nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, lasers and chemistry computer modeling, and electron microscopy. The Center will also house an astronomy deck, a greenhouse, aquariums, and meeting space.
The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. has completed the $24-million renovation of the 101-year-old Carnegie Library building to create the City Museum. The facility opened as a 60,000-sf museum on May 15, 2003. The renovation project included a 150-seat theater, extra museum space and offices for the historical society, as well as updated HVAC, wiring, and adaptations for technology. The City Museum now accommodates 12,000 sf of exhibit galleries, an archeology lab, an education center, a public research library, a café, and a museum store.
The University of California Berkeley has selected a development team led by Allen & O’Hara of Memphis to develop the 135-million, 26-acre University Village project in Albany. The project includes 30 units of housing for junior faculty and 587 units of rental housing for 1,034 graduate students.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has selected the New England Division of Skanska USA Building as program manager for the redevelopment of the Quissett Campus in Woods Hole, Mass. The project includes a new biogeochemistry laboratory building, a marine research laboratory facility, upgrades to the campus central plant, and alterations to the process and septic systems for the campus. The laboratory buildings are scheduled to begin construction in late 2003, pending regulatory approval.
The University of California at Santa Cruz is building the $61-million Engineering Building 2, a 90,000-sf research and teaching facility. The facility will house studies in bioinformatics, nanotechnology, biotechnology, engineering, statistics, and biomolecular engineerining. Slated for completion in fall 2004, a year earlier than anticipated, the building will include an auditorium and 20,000 sf of space for two of Gov. Gray Davis’ California Institutes for Science and Innovation.
The Smithsonian Institution has awarded Hensel Phelps Construction of Greeley, Colo., the $22-million contract for the first phase of the Patent Office Building renovation project. Construction on the Patent Office Building, which houses the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, began in May 2003. The project includes demolition and installation of underground utilities.
West Virginia University has recently completed the Life Sciences Building (LSB), a consolidated facility housing the biology and psychology departments. At 200,000-sf, the LSB is the largest structure on the school's Morgantown campus and is the first facility in the long-range master plan developing the site of the university’s former football stadium and defining a new campus edge.
Oberlin College has completed construction of its new Science Center in Oberlin, Ohio. Replacing the Kettering Science Building built in the 1960s, the new facility is a planned village of appropriately scaled buildings around a unifying “science lawn”. The Science Center houses teaching and research space for biology, chemistry, neuroscience and physics, as well as a new science library, shared lecture halls, and a common area.
The University of Texas Southwest Medical Center is engaged in the demolition and renovation of 24,000 sf of advanced cell biology workspace in Dallas. Omniplan Architects of Dallas designed the project, which will be completed by contractor McCarthy in two distinct phases.
Washington University has recently completed the 114,000-sf Whitaker Biomedical Engineering facility in St. Louis. The $33-million facility houses 22,000 sf of wet and dry laboratory space, including 18 advanced technology labs, and 3,000 sf of vivarium space. The structure also includes a 240-seat auditorium and 45 faculty and student offices. The project was designed by architect SBRA of Boston and built by contractor McCarthy.
The University of California, Davis has topped out the new $28-million Activity and Recreation Center. Designed by Cannon Design of Los Angeles, the 155,000-sf, two-story center is comprised of four adjoining buildings to house a student center with ballroom, conference center, food service, and club meeting rooms. Recreational facilities include basketball and racquetball courts, an elevated indoor running track, a weightlifting room, and a large locker room. A connecting link will join the existing athletic facility, housing an 8,000-seat sports arena, to the new complex.
The New Jersey State Aquarium is planning to break ground on a $33.6-million expansion in late summer of 2003. Designed by Columbus, Ohio-based Steiner + Associates, the $33.6-million project will expand the Camden aquarium by 72,000 sf; retail, entertainment, and restaurants will also be constructed. Including surrounding development, the total project cost could reach $44-million. Steiner + Associates will be responsible for the operation of the expanded aquarium, which will include a new shark tank and hippopotamus area.
The $4-million Central Texas Technology Center, now under construction in New Braunfels, Texas, is slated for completion in March 2004. The center will provide vocational and technical training programs including welding technologies, allied construction trades, industrial manufacturing, computer technology, automotive mechanics, and nursing. Funding for the center is being supplied by a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, the Lower Colorado River Authority, and the New Braunfels and Sequin economic development corporations.
Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) is constructing a new $35,000-sf facility at its Oregon National Primate Research Institute in Beaverton. Slated for completion in June 2004, the $11-million research facility will house 900 rhesus monkeys, adding 450 new animals to the site.
