Higher Education

The University of Washington has awarded Skanska USA Building the pre-construction services assignment for the Johnson Hall renovation in Seattle. The pre-construction phase will begin in the third quarter of 2003. If the project enters the construction phase, which is expected in January 2004, the anticipated construction value for the project would be approximately $35-million. Skanska’s Seattle office will oversee the project, which includes seismic upgrades and renovation/restoration of the 121,000-sf five-story 1930’s historic structure.

The University at Albany SUNY has selected M+W Zander to design and construct the new Nanotechnology Design and Research Center. M+W Zander U.S. Operations, a subsidiary of M+W Zander, Stuttgart, will plan and construct the entire complex with an area of 20,000 square meters including a cleanroom with an area measuring 3,500 square meters. The order volume of the first project phase, which is scheduled for completion in early 2004, amounts to $15-million. The new research complex is intended for R&D of pioneering processes and technology used in semiconductor manufacture.

The Bullis School has opened its $8-million Blair Family Center for the Arts in Potomac, Md. Designed by Einhorn Yaffee Prescott, Architecture & Engineering, the center includes classrooms, performing and visual arts teaching spaces, and a 750-seat auditorium and theater. The two-story lobby accommodates a reception area for a student art work gallery. Studios for painting, printmaking, music, and sculpture are housed in the teaching wing of the building, as well as a multimedia lab. The Bullis School is a college preparatory school.

The University of Notre Dame has completed the $5-million Chemistry Research Center in Notre Dame, Ind. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the 16,000-sf laboratory extension to the chemistry and physics complex accommodates nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging equipment for state-of-the-art molecular studies. The sophisticated design of the new chemistry facility features high bay space for the NMR equipment, four faculty research labs, and ten faculty offices.

The University of Dayton began construction on a $20-million campus residence hall in May 2003. Housing up to 400 first and second year students, the 160,000-sf facility will also accommodate conference rooms, classrooms, a free-standing chapel and a food emporium. Operations to be relocated to the facility include the bookstore, campus ministry offices, credit union, and post office. The four-story project is slated to open in August 2004. Miller-Valentine Group is the general contractor and one of the project architects is Edge and Tinney Architects.

Saint Louis University has selected Alberici Constructors to head a team to design and build a 13,000-seat arena in Midtown. The project team includes architectural firm Mackey Mitchell Associates and Sink Combs Dethlefs, a sports architectural firm. Estimated to cost approximately $70-million, the facility will host campus, sporting, cultural, and convention events.

The National Atomic Museum in Albuquerque is planning a new 40,000-sf facility and exhibition area in the city’s Balloon Fiesta Park. Showcasing nuclear technology exhibits, the Smithsonian Affiliate museum will be renamed the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History when it reopens in 2006. The Department of Energy recently awarded the museum $2.5-million in initial funding towards the museum’s capital campaign of $18 million for the new facility. The museum is operated by Sandia National Laboratories and owned by the Department of Energy.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute has opened its new Bioengineering Institute in Worcester, Mass. The project is the centerpiece of the 15-acre former brownfield site called Gateway Park, slated by the city for redevelopment as a biotechnology campus. The Institute will enable early-stage technology to move from lab through development to a stage attractive to venture capitalists and investors.

Emory University has initiated construction on a new 144,000-sf, $42-million pediatrics building in Atlanta. The six-story facility, slated for completion in summer 2004, will house 31 exam rooms grouped with separate waiting rooms. Setting apart the Emory Children’s Center and the Department of Pediatrics, the facility will consolidate and replace several smaller pediatric operations, providing increased clinic, office, and research space.

The National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) is constructing its 450,000-sf headquarters in Hampton, Va. The NIA is a partnership of six universities with NASA, including Georgia Tech, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, the University of Virginia, the University of Maryland, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The NIA will offer masters and doctorate degrees and will enable NASA to develop cost-effective and innovative technologies in all aerospace areas and in atmospheric science.

The University of South Alabama has completed an $8-million addition and renovation to its library. Doster served as construction manager for the 60,000-sf project. Architectural services were provided by TAG Architects of Mobile, Ala.

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.