Higher Education

The University of Massachusetts Amherst opened the $62 million Business Innovation Hub in April of 2019. Designed by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) with Goody Clancy as architect of record, the 72,000-sf project represents an expansion and partial renovation of the Isenberg School of Management. Featuring flexible collaboration and social spaces, the technology-rich circular structure consolidates Isenberg’s faculty and staff in a single location to promote connectivity.

Misericordia University broke ground in April of 2019 on a $45 million expansion of the Henry Science Center in Dallas Township, Pa. The three-story, 57,400-sf addition will provide classrooms, an electronics fabrication lab, a cadaver suite for the study of anatomy and physiology, and ten teaching labs for biology, chemistry, and physics. The project will also include a cold room for molecular physics experiments, an organic chemistry lab with a 300 megahertz NMR instrument, and vivarium space for small mammals, invertebrates, and aquatics.

The University of Michigan opened the $261 million Biological Science Building in April of 2019 in Ann Arbor. Designed by SmithGroup and Ennead Architects to accommodate 90 principal investigators and their teams, the interdisciplinary building offers 84 wet and dry research labs arranged in open neighborhoods for optimal flexibility.

The University of Cincinnati opened the $68 million headquarters of the Gardner Neuroscience Institute in April of 2019. Integrating research, education, and outpatient care, the four-story, 114,000-sf facility houses four clinic modules with 14 exam rooms in each for optimal flexibility. The project also offers a 16-bay infusion department, procedure rooms, an imaging suite, an auditorium, a rehabilitation therapy center with an outdoor terrace, a patient lounge, a café, and an underground parking garage.

Pennsylvania State University dedicated the $144 million Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building in April of 2019 in University Park. Designed by HOK, the six-story, 194,100-sf (109,100-asf) facility houses classrooms, conference rooms, collaboration spaces, instrumentation suites, a student commons, a 150-seat auditorium, and open labs arranged in neighborhoods to promote interaction. Transparent glass walls in interior corridors put science on display and integrated magnetic whiteboards encourage students and faculty to share ideas.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst opened the $101 million Physical Sciences Building in April of 2019. Designed by Wilson HGA, the 95,000-sf facility can accommodate 20 faculty-led research groups with a total of 130 reconfigurable bench positions. Supporting scientific discovery in organic chemistry, materials science, and condensed matter physics, the building provides open research labs, extensive core support labs, offices, and collaboration areas.

The University of Illinois broke ground in April of 2019 on the $75 million Classroom Instructional Building in Urbana. Providing 24 instructional spaces for programs in engineering, computer science, math, and statistics, the facility will feature a Greek-style round classroom, a distance-learning classroom, and team learning rooms with flexible furniture. The public-private project will be delivered by Vermilion Development, Campbell Coyle Real Estate, Provident Group, and Pepper Construction.

The University of Colorado is building the $61.4 million William J. Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center in Colorado Springs. Designed by HOK and RTA Architects, the 104,000-sf facility will be the first of its kind to integrate undergraduate and graduate education with clinical practice and research in a sports medicine and performance environment.

Banner – University Medical Center Tucson opened a $446 million patient tower in April of 2019. Creating a new main entry for the hospital, the nine-story, 670,000-sf facility provides 228 private patient rooms, diagnostic imaging and cardiac catheterization labs, interventional radiology suites, 20 operating rooms, and a cafeteria. The project team included architect Shepley Bulfinch, engineering consultants AEI and GLHN Architects & Engineers, and joint venture contractor Sundt DPR.

Miami University and The Pennsylvania State University have transformed outdated buildings into modern STEM teaching and research centers while maintaining some of each building’s historic aspects. The projects aim to replace siloed labs, dark corridors, and dated HVAC systems with collaborative research facilities and up-to-date mechanicals, recapturing wasted space to provide areas where students can gather. Swing space for affected occupants was crucial—Miami University’s Pearson Hall remained partially occupied during construction, while Penn State’s Steidle Building was vacated—as was clear and frequent communication with faculty and other building users. Both projects required fairly complex phasing.

The University of Toronto is planning to create Canada's largest university-based innovation node with the construction of the 750,000-sf Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre. Funded in part by a $100 million donation, the interdisciplinary center will feature vertical gardens, soaring atria, and integrated collaboration areas, as well as offering leasable space for startup companies.

Boston University is engaged in a $112 million renovation and expansion of the Goldman School of Dental Medicine. Designed by SmithGroup, the project includes renovation of 53,100 sf of existing space and construction of a seven-story, 41,900-sf addition to provide a 140-seat auditorium, student collaboration areas, classrooms, teaching labs, offices, and clinical space. A new façade will bring natural light into the flexible facility, which will include a café and lounges for students and residents.

Old Dominion University began construction in February of 2019 on a $75.6 million chemistry building in Norfolk, Va. Supporting STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the four-story, 110,000-sf facility will feature 1,800-sf laboratories as a strategic recruitment tool to attract new researchers. Designed with abundant external glazing to put science on display, the building will offer classrooms, teaching and research labs, active learning environments, tutoring rooms, faculty offices, and a high-field robotic NMR suite.

IBM is partnering with SUNY Polytechnic Institute to create the AI Hardware Center in Marcy, N.Y. The project is one component of IBM's $30 million investment in the State University of New York system to support artificial intelligence-focused computer chip research, development, prototyping, testing, and simulation. SUNY will provide up to $25 million in matching funds for a combined total of $55 million.

Cal Poly will break ground in May of 2019 on the $125 million William and Linda Frost Center for Research and Innovation in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The four-story, 100,000-sf facility represents a collaboration between the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Science and Mathematics.