Higher Education

Louisiana Tech University is constructing the $40 million Integrated Engineering & Science Building in Ruston, La. Featuring flexible classrooms for project-based learning, the three-story, 130,000-sf facility will provide teaching and research labs, prototyping workshops, study rooms, faculty offices, and a glass atrium with a spiral staircase. Construction began on the project in April of 2016 and occupancy is expected in fall of 2019.

The University of Arkansas will begin construction in mid-2019 on the $10.3 million Civil Engineering Research and Education Center in Fayetteville. Designed by TreanorHL Architects and DEMX Architecture, the 37,400-sf project will offer sophisticated research spaces including a high-bay lab for the testing of structures and materials.

York University opened the $50 million Rob and Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study & Research Building in Toronto in January of 2019. Designed by Baird Sampson Neuert Architects to accommodate programs for the Schulich School of Business, the 67,000-sf facility features one 90-seat and two 60-seat flat floor classrooms, 10 breakout rooms, four seminar rooms, and a three-story atrium with open seating, collaboration areas, and a café.

The University of Colorado broke ground in late January of 2019 on the $176 million Anschutz Health Sciences Building in Aurora. Designed by ZGF Architects and Anderson Mason Dale Architects, the seven-story, 390,00-sf facility will provide computational laboratories, classrooms, mental and behavioral health research clinics, a medical simulation training hub, faculty offices, and space for clinical trials.

Rice University is planning to renovate a former Sears building in Houston to create a 270,000-sf innovation center called The Ion. Providing event spaces, meeting rooms, and business incubation suites, the collaborative facility will support data science research initiatives and the development of new digital technologies. The complex, which will include dining and entertainment amenities, will host public programs including entrepreneurial workshops, networking sessions, training courses, and industry lectures.

The National University of Singapore opened the six-story, 92,000-sf Net-Zero Energy Building in January of 2019. Providing design studios, teaching and research space, and common areas for the School of Design and Environment, SDE4 is the first new-build, net-zero facility in Singapore. WELL certification will be sought for the project, which features a rooftop solar farm with 1225 panels, a hybrid cooling system, and a narrow floorplate to optimize passive ventilation and natural lighting.

Stellenbosch University began construction in January of 2019 on the $75 million Biomedical Research Institute in Cape Town, South Africa. Providing leading-edge research facilities for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the integrated complex will include a bioinformatics hub, a clinical research unit, a biorepository, conference rooms, and labs for proteomics, electron microscopy, and flow cytometry.

Johns Hopkins University is planning to create an interdisciplinary academic hub on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Designed by Ennead Architects with SmithGroup as architect of record, the project includes the transformation of the former Newseum facility to provide a home for the School of Advanced International Studies, as well as offering space for the Carey Business School, the School of Nursing, and the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

Colorado State University opened the $19.5 million Nancy Richardson Design Center in January of 2019 in Fort Collins. Designed by OZ Architecture and Salt Design, the collaborative 45,000-sf facility provides a two-story atrium, design studios, technology-rich fabrication and prototyping labs, presentation spaces, classrooms, computer labs, a café, and several outdoor venues.

The Integrated Research and Innovation Center (IRIC) at the University of Idaho houses more than 20 grant-funded teams of faculty and graduate and undergraduate researchers, representing every college at the university, who collaborate on cross-department research in the hard sciences, social sciences, and humanities. No one “owns” any space in the building; instead, teams rotate in and out of the facility based on project lifespan, from a few months to several years, requiring a flexible and adaptable design.

When Johnson County Community College asked them in 2015 to establish a space planning program, Janelle Vogler and Robyn Albano wondered where to start. Now they advise the college’s top decision-makers to optimize building utilization on campus. In launching a space planning organization from scratch, they point to several lessons they learned along the way: It’s vital to assign a point person to lead the effort; you need a team whose members commit to the institution’s interests above any one department; a successful organization will establish transparent processes for requests and decisions; and don’t be afraid to start data collection with a simple spreadsheet.

Ohio State University began construction in January of 2019 on the $59 million Biomedical and Materials Engineering Complex in Columbus. Featuring interactive laboratories for experiential learning, the five-story, 124,000-sf facility will provide an atrium, a 150-seat auditorium, two undergraduate computer labs, five classrooms, and open lab neighborhoods for faculty and graduate research.

College of the Atlantic will begin construction in spring of 2019 on the $13 million Center for Human Ecology in Bar Harbor, Maine. Designed by GO Logic and Susan T. Rodriguez to accommodate the school's unique interdisciplinary curriculum, the two-story, 29,000-sf building will provide science labs, flexible lecture halls, faculty offices, art and design studios, and a teaching greenhouse.

Iowa State University is building the $84 million Student Innovation Center in Ames. Comprising one basement level and four stories above grade, the 140,000-sf facility will provide an inclusive environment for multidisciplinary collaboration across the university. Designed by KieranTimberlake and Substance Architecture to promote interactive learning and experimentation, the center will offer an auditorium, classrooms, meeting rooms, fabrication areas, staff offices, and a café.

Clemson University is building the $90 million College of Business in North Charleston, S.C. Comprising two towers connected on the ground and first floors by an expansive outdoor stairway and plaza, the collaborative 176,000-sf facility will provide classrooms, labs, an atrium, a board room, a business center, incubator space, a café, a flat-floor auditorium with 220 seats, and faculty and administrative offices.