Higher Education

The University of Melbourne began construction in October of 2018 on Melbourne Connect, a AUD$425 million innovation precinct. Created in partnership with a development consortium steered by Lendlease, the 800,000-sf project will include a fabrication lab, student accommodation, commercial offices, a co-working center, retail amenities, and space for Science Gallery Melbourne. Designed by Woods Bagot, the mixed-use complex will comprise five buildings connected by a 35,000-sf superfloor and a central public outdoor garden.

Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine opened a $423 million medical research and treatment complex in November of 2018 in Stony Brook, N.Y. The 475,000-sf project included construction of the $193 million Medical and Research Translation (MART) building, an eight-story, 250,000-sf facility providing wet labs for the study of cancer biology, dry labs for biomedical informatics and statistical research, and a conference center with a 300-seat auditorium.

Boston University will begin construction in spring of 2020 on the 350,000-sf Data Sciences Center. The 17-story facility will be located on the Charles River Campus and will collocate the departments of statistics, mathematics, and computer science. The center will feature terraced platforms with whiteboard walls and a collaboration ramp to promote interaction and innovation. The structure is comprised of a four-story podium topped by 13 floors, with MEP systems located in additional basement and penthouse levels.

Hospital Corporation of America broke ground in October of 2018 on the $175 million UCF Lake Nona Medical Center in Orlando. Created in partnership with the University of Central Florida, the three-story, 204,000-sf teaching hospital will be built on 25 acres owned by the university in the Lake Nona Medical City development. The project is sited adjacent to the UCF College of Medicine and will act as the cornerstone for the school's new Academic Health Sciences Center. Occupancy is expected in late 2020. 

Emory University will begin construction in fall of 2019 on a $260 million biomedical research facility in Atlanta. Designed by HOK, the 300,000-sf facility will provide labs and offices for researchers engaged in the study of immunology, neurology, oncology, cardiology, and biomedical imaging. The project represents an expansion of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center and may include an animal research vivarium and a cage wash. Occupancy is expected in December of 2021. 

The University of Michigan-Flint broke ground in October of 2018 on a 65,000-sf expansion of the William R. Murchie Science Building. Creating a third wing, the $39 million project will accommodate expanded STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The collaborative facility will provide faculty and student research labs, engineering labs, a robotics lab, and four interactive classrooms with flexible seating. Completion is expected in July of 2021.

To produce more food for more people with fewer resources, due to climate change and population growth, agricultural bioscience research will need to adopt new research models, including interdisciplinary projects and corporate partnerships, to help fast-track product discovery and development. Timing will be important. “When I first started in agriculture, if you came up with a new corn hybrid, it could be 10 or 12 years before you would grow that hybrid commercially,” says Stephen Briggs, launch director for the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative. “You can’t afford to do that in a 12-year timeframe now. You have to shorten that to two or three years.

Founded at the intersection of health science and education, the Henderson County Health Sciences Center is building bridges between patients, students, and healthcare professionals. The three-story facility provides an enhanced experience for patients through a complex network of professionals working together. The facility is the result of a strategic partnership between Pardee Hospital, Blue Ridge Community College, Wingate University, and Henderson County. Henderson County coordinated and funded the project through a public-private partnership that expands space, funds, and resources for the three entities and the surrounding community.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine opened the $305 million Health Sciences Facility III in Baltimore in October of 2018. Designed by HOK and Design Collective, the 11-story, 435,000-sf building provides wet and dry labs for biomedical research, an imaging suite, offices, collaboration spaces, and conference and seminar rooms. Accommodating 400 faculty and staff members, the facility houses over 15 research teams engaged in the study of oncology, cardiology, neurology, genomics, and regenerative medicine.

Phoenix College celebrated the opening of its renovated physical sciences building in November of 2018. Designed by Holly Street Studio with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the $19.5 million project transformed the existing Building C into a 59,000-sf instructional center for programs in chemistry, engineering, physics, geology, geography, astronomy, and sustainability.

California State University, Chico broke ground on a $101 million physical sciences building in October of 2018. Providing teaching labs for chemistry, physics, and geology, the four-story, 110,200-sf STEM facility will house active learning classrooms, graduate research studios, collaboration spaces, administrative and faculty offices, and an interactive lab for elementary school programs.

Sam Houston State University will break ground in late 2018 on a 107,000-sf facility for the College of Osteopathic Medicine in Conroe, Texas. Designed by Page Southerland Page and The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the project will be located on seven acres in Grand Central Park, a 2,000-acre mixed-use campus created by Johnson Development Corp.

The University of Birmingham opened the £40 million Collaborative Teaching Laboratory in October of 2018 in the United Kingdom. Designed by Sheppard Robson to support team-based, experiential learning, the three-story, 72,120-sf facility accommodates STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The interdisciplinary building provides an e-lab, a wet lab, a dry lab, and a discovery zone with interactive media displays on the ground floor.

The College of the Holy Cross is planning to begin construction in spring of 2019 on a $92 million center for the arts in Worcester, Mass. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the two-level, 85,500-sf building will include a 400-seat theater and concert hall, an experimental 200-seat studio theater, a media lab, rehearsal and dressing rooms, and workshops for lighting and set design.

South Dakota State University broke ground in October of 2018 on the $46.1 million Raven Precision Agriculture Center in Brookings. The 129,000-sf facility will provide collaborative classrooms and laboratories for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and the College of Engineering. Accommodating sophisticated instrumentation for data analytics and leading-edge farm equipment, the building will include flexible research areas for academic and industry partners.