Higher Education

Chula Vista's Southwestern College is developing the $22-million Education Village with San Diego State University where the schools will share classroom space. In Otay Mesa, Southwestern and Sweetwater Union High School are planning Project Synergy, a $123-million, 305,900-sf classroom and office facility. The first phase of construction is slated to start in September 2003 and reach completion in early summer of 2005. A new Sweetwater district high school will open adjacent to the facility the following autumn.

San Diego State University is working with the Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) to build an underground trolley station. A 5.9-mile extension tunnel from Mission Valley to La Mesa is included in the $435-million project, which is being funded by MTDB. The cost of the under-campus station and tunnel is $84.3 million. Developed by Clark Construction Group of Bethesda, the tunnel has been under construction since June of 2001 and is approximately halfway completed. Construction of the trolley station is ongoing.  

The University of California, San Diego has selected Gilbane Co. of Phoenix as general contractor and construction manager for the $102.5-million California Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology project, Cal-(IT)2. The 215,000-sf research facility is slated to begin construction in January and reach completion in two years.  

The University of California San Diego's $110-million Eleanor Roosevelt College, comprised of 373,033 sf of dormitory, apartment, dining, meeting, and common area space, is slated for completion in fall of 2003. Construction began on the project in November 2000.

North Carolina State University will begin construction on the Partners III building in October 2002. The $24-million, 80,000-sf facility will house nanotechnology laboratory and research facilities and is slated for completion in July 2004.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning to expand its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Eastern hub at North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus. The expansion will be housed in Venture Center IV, the final building master planned for Venture Center. Developed by Craig Davis Properties, the five-story, $125-million facility will begin construction this year with occupancy in late 2003. Venture IV will contain 110,000 nsf of rentable space.

North Carolina State University (NCSU) is planning a $31-million, 103,000-sf research addition to the School of Veterinary Medicine. Designed by Flad & Associates, the four-story building will house research labs, offices, and conference rooms. A new subsurface infrastructure tunnel will provide utilities to the facility. The addition is expected to open in October 2004. The School of Veterinary Medicine is located on the Centennial Biomedical Campus, now part of NCSU's Centennial Campus.  

North Carolina State University has begun site work for the new College of Engineering on its Centennial Campus. Consolidating classrooms scattered in several buildings on the main campus, the facility will house Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Engineering with laboratories, offices, and some shared classroom space. The first $43-million, 152,000-sf phase is slated for completion in June 2004. The second, $45-million phase, encompassing 175,000-sf, is expected to reach completion by June 2005.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Program is planning to consolidate operations with the construction of a new 65,000-sf headquarters on North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus. The $13.5-million facility will include an outdoor learning laboratory and is expected to begin construction in the fourth quarter of 2002.

The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University is in the process of raising $80 million for capital projects. A gift of $500,000 has been contributed by Cisco Systems to create Fuqua's Center for Innovation and Educational Technologies.

Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) in Bloomington has recently completed the 103,000-sf Ames Library designed by Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott (SBRA). Felmley-Dickerson Co. of Bloomington was the contractor for the five-story library, which provides a centerpiece for social and academic interaction, collaborative study and reflection. The library also establishes a new focal point for the campus.

The University of Chicago has awarded the Chicago office of Turner Construction Company the contract to build a new $125-million campus for the Graduate School of Business. Turner is the construction manager at risk for the project, which is scheduled for completion in August 2004. The architect is Rafael Vinoly Architects of New York, N.Y., and the development manager is Mesirow Stein Real Estate of Chicago.

The University of Texas in Austin recently awarded Watkins Hamilton Ross Architects (WHR) the contract to provide professional services for Phase One of the Pharmacy Building renovation. The 60,000-gsf Pharmacy Building was originally constructed in 1952 and is considered a historically relevant building by the University. The renovation program, including a project budget, should be finalized by the end of October. Upon funding approval, WHR will begin the design process.

Ohlone College, a Fremont, Calif., community college, is planning to develop a second campus on 81 acres recently purchased in Newark. Dubbed the Newark Center, the campus will house state-of-the-art health, biology, chemistry and technology labs and general education classrooms. A $150-million bond measure passed in March of 2002 is funding the purchase and development of the campus, which will accommodate 2,500 full-time students or from 4,500 to 5,000 part- and full-time students.

North Carolina State University will soon break ground on a new nanotechnology research facility on its Centennial Campus in Raleigh. The $24-million, 80,000-sf Partners III building is expected to open in July of 2004.