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.
The University of California San Diego has selected general contractor Taylor Frager to build the Elliott Field Structures Lab. The $2-million earthquake simulation facility was designed by Hodges & Hodges Architecture.
Southwestern Community College District has selected San Diego-based O'Connor Construction Management to oversee the development of the $10.5-million One Stop Student Services Center and the $5.2-million Child Development Center. Sited on the college's main Chula Vista campus, the project includes the replacement of the existing 27,000-sf student services building with a two-story, 48,000-sf facility designed by tBP/Architecture; construction is expected to begin in June 2003.
Boston University is engaged in a $220-million fitness center and arena project designed by architect Cannon Design. The 270,000-sf fitness and recreation center will house a competition-sized pool, a wellness center, a full-service sports medicine facility, a climbing wall, a weight-training and cardiovascular conditioning center, several multipurpose gymnasiums, squash and racquetball courts, and a juice bar. The Harry Agganis Sports and Entertainment Arena will be a multi-purpose space seating up to 7,000 spectators.
The University of Sacramento is planning to develop a private Catholic University at two locations in the Sacramento region. The $350-million project includes the construction of a full-service 250-acre residential campus at Mahler Field and the lease of 55,000-sf in downtown or midtown Sacramento for a graduate school of education, possibly with a bioethics institute. The graduate school is expected to open in 2005, with the residential campus ready to accommodate 7,000 students and 800 faculty in 2007.
The University of the Pacific School of Dentistry is planning to develop the $15-million Molinari Project, an addition to the western side of the school’s San Francisco campus. The 60,000-sf expansion will house a clinical research center, new simulation and clinical facilities, a professional development center, student housing, and several stories of underground parking.
The California Academy of Sciences will lease 204,000 sf south of Market Street in San Francisco as a temporary home while eleven of the organization’s twelve buildings in Golden Gate Park are razed and a new 400,000-sf facility is built. The temporary location will open to the public in January 2004. The 204,000-sf facility will include a 32,000-sf lower level garage that will accommodate tanks and equipment for the ground-floor aquarium.
