Higher Education

The Universityof Albertais creating the $120-million National Institute for Nanotechnology. The Canadian federal government, through the National Research Council, will jointly fund the world-class research center with the Province of Alberta, each contributing $60 million over five years. As an interim measure, the Institute will occupy about 20,000 square feet on the sixth floor of the newly completed Electrical and Computer Engineering Research Facility (ECERF).

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, N.Y., has selected Tishman Construction Corp. of Boston as construction manager for its new Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center. Housing several venues, the multipurpose facility will include a 400-seat recital theater and a 1,200-seat auditorium.

Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, is designing the Bindley Bioscience Center, an interdisciplinary, flexible research lab facility. To be constructed in Purdue’s Discovery Park development, the building is designed to foster interaction with the adjacent Birck Nanotechnology Center, the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, the e-Enterprise Center, and the departments of Life Sciences and Engineering. The facility will contain 18,000 sf of modularly configured laboratory space to accommodate the dynamic nature of the Center’s project flow.

Purdue   University is planning the Birck Nanotechnology Center on its West Lafayette, Indiana campus. As the cornerstone of Purdue’s Discovery Park development, the facility will house state-of-the-art cleanrooms and specialized labs for research and development. Equipment will include atomic-force microscopes, molecular beam epitaxy technologies for advanced computers and electronics, and chemical vapor deposition machines. Construction is expected to begin in March 2003 and reach completion in early 2005.

Emory University's $82.7-million Whitehead Biomedical Research Building has earned a Silver certification according to the LEED building rating system as established by the U.S. Green Building Council. Designed by the Atlanta office of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK), the 325,000-sf, eight-story building opened in November 2001 and is the first building in the Southeast U.S. to achieve LEED certification, and one of only 24 LEED-certified facilities in the nation.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute dedicated the WPI Bioengineering Institute in July. Worcester Polytechnic plans to collect the 4,500-sf of lab and office space, currently in disparate campus locations, in one building. The Institute's first tenant company is Insight Neuroimaging Systems LLC, a developer of radio-frequency coils for MRI machines.

The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School has completed the $139.9-million Jon M. Huntsman Hall. Providing the business school with the latest technology, the 324,000-sf building features 48 classrooms equipped with multimedia, broadband audio, and videoconferencing capabilities provided to the school's San Francisco, France, and Singapore programs. Special infrared hearing devices enable the hearing-impaired to listen to lectures.

Memorial Hermann Healthcare System and the University of Texas Health Science Center are planning to build a 400,000-sf, 25-story medical office and ambulatory care center in Houston.

Siena College's Morrell Science Center recently won a First Place Technology Award in the category of Institutional Buildings in a regional competition organized by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Located in Loudonville, New York, the new 53,000-sf center houses a total of 46 teaching laboratories for physics, biology and chemistry, as well as offices, recitation and faculty rooms.

Drexel University's LeBow School of Business has completed the 40,000-sf Pearlstein Business Learning Center. The facility includes centers for e-commerce management and executive education, as well as simulated boardrooms with videoconferencing capabilities. The addition was designed by Philip Johnson in conjunction with New York-based Alan Ritchie Architects and Philadelphia's Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates.

The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor began renovating the 178,930-sf West Hall in summer of 2002. The $15-million project will involve complete demolition and renovation of parts of the first, second and fourth floors and infrastructure upgrades to the remainder of the building. Improvements will be made to the fire protection, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems, with some exterior renovations.

Northwestern   University is adding a new four-story office building to Mary Jane McMillen Crowe Hall.

Northwestern   University is planning to construct a new facility to replace Anderson Hall. Designed by architect Nagle Hartray Danker Kagan McKay of Chicago, the new $9-million Evanston campus building will house the Burton Academic Advising & Student Services Center, Marketing and Communications, administrative offices, and facilities for the Wrestling program. Design and construction plans for the project are based on a feasibility study prepared by Griskelis+Smith Architects.

The University of Michigan will soon complete the renovation, restoration and rehabilitation of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies Building. Built in the classical renaissance style in 1938, the facility houses Graduate Studies as well as hosting public and university events. The building contains two auditoriums, three study halls, three conference spaces, and galleries. Designed by SmithGroup, the $22.8-million renovation began in June of 2001 and is slated for completion in November 2002.

The University of California, Davis has recently completed construction of the new $57-million Robert and Margit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. Built by contractor McCarthy, the facility is one of the largest university performing arts presentation venues in the country. Begun in May 2000, the 104,000-sf facility includes: the multilevel 1,800-seat Barbara K. and W.