Higher Education

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.

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.

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.

The State University at Albany's Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics will expand with a massive $400-million research and development center. Created by an international consortium of computer chip manufacturers, the site will employ 250 researchers engaged in 300-millimeter chip development. The state of New York will contribute $210-million for construction, equipment, and specialized tools.

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas recently broke ground on a 24,000-sf renovation of laboratory and office space for the University's biochemistry department. Architect for the project is Omniplan; the contractor is McCarthy. The project includes the demolition and renovation of a portion of the third floor in Building K, a five-story research facility on the UT Southwestern campus. The labs on this floor, used for research in cell biology, were originally constructed in the mid-1970s.

San Jose State University (SJSU) will open the doors of the new $177.5-million Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library on August 1, 2003. The 475,000-sf facility, the first public/private partnership in the nation between a university and a city, will feature a browsing library serving hot and cold meals, an Internet cafe, a large story-telling room, a rooftop terrace available for rental, and four multipurpose suites with videoconferencing equipment available for meetings.

Delta Search Labs is building a $300-million supercomputer lab in 50,000-sf of leased space at 700 Technology Square at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Expanding its 15,000-sf Kendall Square supercomputer operations, the new facility will enable researchers to visualize their data. 

Kennesaw State University is developing University Place, comprised of 11 three-story residential buildings and a 1,500-car parking deck. The $61-million, 700-bed project is a public-private venture built not with taxpayer dollars but with tax-exempt bonds and a nonrecourse loan. The 196-unit development included the Kennesaw State University Foundation's purchase of nine private homes and an existing apartment complex, which also helped fund the project.

Alamo Community College District recently celebrated the opening of its Advanced Technology Center (ATC). The workforce training center, sited at KellyUSA, features video teleconferencing capabilities to connect multiple classrooms with company sites worldwide. Fostering ties with the aerospace, defense, and IT industries, the ATC will provide training in avionics and computer-integrated manufacturing.