Higher Education

Universities typically build or acquire new academic space sparingly, after long deliberation. When changing economic conditions dropped a whole campus into Lehigh University’s lap, the challenge has been to use that space in ways that support today’s education. Industrial giant Bethlehem Steel didn’t go formally bankrupt until 2001, but the writing was on the wall as early as 1987, when the company sold the majority of its “Mountaintop” research facility to Lehigh, which has since acquired two more buildings there, including Mountaintop C. That massive building’s three high bays attached to a curved bank of offices, is now home to student-driven projects in an environment that seeks to keep elements of the industrial feel and keep large bays as relatively rough, unfinished space.

The University of Iowa broke ground in October of 2018 on the $33 million Psychological and Brain Sciences Building in Iowa City. Acting as a gateway to the east side of campus, the six-story, 64,000-sf teaching and research building will offer technology-rich classrooms and labs, administrative offices, conference rooms, and breakout spaces. The collaborative facility will feature a learning commons and an interior plaza illuminated by natural light. Completion is expected in 2019.

The University of Texas at Arlington opened the $125 million Science & Engineering Innovation & Research Building (SEIR) in September of 2018. Designed by ZGF Architects and Page Southerland Page to accommodate interdisciplinary biomedical research, the six-story, 229,000-sf facility includes a two-story classroom wing, a four-story research wing, and a basement laboratory level with vibration-mitigated instrumentation suites.

Georgia Southern University opened the $33.6 million Interdisciplinary Academic Building in September of 2018 in Statesboro. Designed by HOK, the three-story, 110,000-sf facility provides flexible learning spaces and laboratories for the College of Health and Human Sciences. The interdisciplinary building accommodates programs in interior design, history, foreign languages, writing & linguistics, international studies, health professions, and fashion merchandising and apparel design.

Creighton University will begin construction in spring of 2019 on a $100 million health sciences campus in midtown Phoenix. Located at Park Central, the 200,000-sf facility will accommodate programs in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physician assistance, emergency services, and occupational and physical therapy. The project team includes architect Butler Design Group, general contractor Okland Construction, and developer Plaza Companies. Completion is expected in spring of 2021.

Brigham Young University opened an $80 million facility for the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering in September of 2018 in Provo, Utah. Designed by VCBO Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory programming  and design consultant, the five-story, 200,000-sf facility features a dedicated laboratory annex, a student innovation floor, and a prototyping shop.

ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, began construction in September of 2018 on a biosystems science facility in Basel. Designed by Nickl & Partner Architekten, the nine-story, 400,000-sf facility will provide cleanrooms, labs, classrooms, offices, a glazed atrium, and a cafeteria.

Higher education facilities executives are rightly focused on the needs of students, faculty, and administrators, but what about prospective students and their parents? Targeting facility and campus improvements to boost the campus tour experience has a positive impact on recruitment, enrollment, and retention. A formal evaluation process—resulting in a detailed scorecard and a set of recommendations presented in the form of a prioritization matrix—might enhance the all-important first impressions and intangibles that are impossible to quantify.

Arizona State University opened the $120 million Biodesign Institute Building C in September of 2018 in Tempe. Designed by ZGF Architects and BWS Architects, the five-story, 191,000-sf project features wet labs for chemistry, engineering, and biological sciences arranged in collaborative neighborhoods.

Western Colorado University began construction in September of 2018 on the 75,000-sf Rady School of Computer Science and Engineering in Gunnison. Created in partnership with the University of Colorado and funded by a donation of $80 million, the facility will provide sophisticated instrumentation suites, laboratories, classrooms, lecture halls, collaboration spaces, faculty offices, and a central gallery with a canted glass curtainwall. Farnsworth Group is providing architectural, MEP, structural, and landscape design services.

Johns Hopkins Medicine opened the $95 million All Children's Education and Research Facility in September of 2018 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Designed by HDR, the 225,000-sf project provides advanced simulation training suites, research labs, instructional spaces, administrative offices, a biorepository, and a 400-seat auditorium.

Texas A&M University opened the $228 million Zachry Engineering Education Complex in September of 2018 in College Station. Designed by TreanorHL, the project included renovation of the existing building and construction of an addition to provide 526,000 sf of collaborative teaching and research space. The complex houses the Fischer Engineering Design Center, technology-rich learning studios, offices, and interdisciplinary open labs.

Newcastle University broke ground in September of 2018 on the £39 million Teaching and Learning Building in the United Kingdom. Accommodating programs in sports and exercise science, human nutrition, psychology, and medical education, the six-story, 97,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will feature a 300-seat lecture hall, social learning spaces, seminar rooms, clinical suites, collaboration areas, and academic and postgraduate offices. The project team includes GSS Architecture and Clugston Construction.

Rutgers University opened the $115 million Chemistry and Chemical Biology Building in September of 2018 in Piscataway, N.J. Designed by Flad Architects to promote multidisciplinary collaboration, the four-story, 144,000-sf facility offers core facilities including a microscopy suite, a Class 100 chemistry cleanroom, and labs for optical spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography.

The University of Toronto spent $153 million (USD) to rehabilitate 47 percent of its total research space, a move that is favored by the Canadian government as a viable alternative to building new facilities. It is estimated that constructing new buildings to replace this amount of the university’s aging research facilities would have cost approximately $494 million.