Higher Education

Rowan University and Rutgers University-Camden are building the Joint Health Sciences Center in Camden, N.J. Designed by HOK, the $70 million project comprises two joined buildings offering classrooms, laboratories, offices, and research space. Camden County College will also utilize the four-story, 95,000-sf complex, which will include a 30,000-sf simulation training center for Rowan’s School of Osteopathic Medicine and CCC’s allied health program.

Eastern Washington University broke ground in June of 2018 on the 101,352-sf Interdisciplinary Science Center in Cheney. The four-story project will provide a 100-seat classroom, teaching labs, study areas, offices, and support spaces for the departments of biology, chemistry, geology, and physics. A minimum of LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility, which will be physically connected to the existing science building by enclosed walkways.

Harvard University's Center for Climate Health and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE) has created the Healthy Buildings Program to study the effects of the built environment on health, productivity, and wellbeing. The nine foundations of a healthy building can optimize occupant health, preferably in a smoke-free environment with active design to promote movement.

Cardiff University will begin construction in September of 2018 on the £50 million Innovation Central facility in Wales in the United Kingdom. Designed by Hawkins\Brown to promote collaboration between academic and industry partners, the 129,167-sf project will include the SPARK social science research hub and a business incubator with shared spaces, labs, and serviced offices.

The SPARK Academic Innovation Hub at Washington State University was designed to serve as a campus-wide resource, increase transparency on campus, and promote cross-field collaboration, enhanced by a combination of high-tech digital classrooms and informal spaces. The building creates a gateway to the southern edge of the campus, with its network of flexible, technology-enabled learning environments connected to a central commons, which serves as a public presentation and event space.

Marshall University broke ground in June of 2018 on a 49,722-sf facility for the School of Pharmacy in Huntington, Va. Strategically located on the Edwards School of Medicine's Fairfields Campus to promote interdisciplinary education, the three-story building will provide teaching, research, administrative, and communal spaces. Created in partnership with developer Signet, the $56 million project also includes construction of a five-story, 200-unit graduate student housing complex.

Montana State University Billings is planning to renovate an existing facility to create the 80,000-sf Yellowstone Science and Allied Health Building. Designed by Dowling Studio Architects, the $15 million project includes construction of a three-story, 30,000-sf addition providing 16 teaching labs, 11 research labs, classrooms, and a shared equipment core. Accommodating the growing College of Allied Health, the multidisciplinary project will feature an athletic training lab with sophisticated performance testing and measurement technologies.

Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health broke ground in June of 2018 on a $349 million outpatient facility in Richmond. Designed by HDR, the 16-story, 603,000-sf project will provide a consolidated location for VCU Massey Cancer Center's outpatient services, as well as housing diagnostic labs, imaging suites, a rehabilitation center, and clinical space for orthopedics, pulmonology, urology, and gynecology.

Williams College opened the $66 million South Science Building in June of 2018. Located in Williamstown, Mass., the 78,000-sf interdisciplinary teaching and research facility provides 30 laboratories, 31 faculty offices, a microscopy suite, and a machine shop with a design lab, 3D printers, and laser and plasma cutters. Designed by Payette to promote interaction and collaboration, the four-story, 78,000-sf building accommodates programs in biology, chemistry, and physics.

The University of Aberystwyth is planning to create VetHub 1, a human and animal health research facility in the United Kingdom. Located on the Penglais campus in Aberystwyth, the project includes the renovation and expansion of an existing 5,231-sf structure to provide three BSL-3 labs, two BSL-2 labs, and associated office spaces. The facility will support the development of new products, diagnostic tests, and strategies for the nation's agricultural, veterinary, and biotechnology industries. 

Washington State University broke ground in June of 2018 on the $66 million Plant Sciences Building in Pullman. Providing 15 wet labs, three dry labs, and multiple collaboration spaces, the four-story 82,476-sf facility will accommodate research programs in horticulture, plant biochemistry and pathology, and crop and soil science. The project team includes LMN Architects, laboratory design consultant Research Facilities Design (RFD), and design-build contractor Skanska.

The University of California, San Diego broke ground in June of 2018 on the $627 million North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood. Covering over 10 acres, the 1.6 million-gsf mixed-use project will provide 2,000 undergraduate beds, 1,200 underground parking spaces, a craft center, and dining and retail amenities. New academic facilities will include the Public Engagement Building to accommodate social sciences programs, and an arts and humanities facility housing the departments of history, literature, and philosophy.

Hackensack Meridian Health opened the $265 million HOPE Tower at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in June of 2018. Located in Neptune, N.J. the 10-story, 300,000-sf cancer research and treatment facility features a 58,000-sf patient care center offering radiation therapy, medical oncology, surgical specialties, and minimally invasive therapies. The tower also includes biomedical research labs, a 6,500-sf simulation training center, a 200-seat conference auditorium, a clinical trials center, and space for academic programs.

Thomas Jefferson University is planning to create the Jefferson Institute for Bioprocessing in Lower Gwynedd, Pa. Located at Spring House Innovation Park, the 25,000-sf facility is being developed in partnership with the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) based in Dublin, Ireland. As the only center of its kind in North America, the project will leverage the renowned NIBRT curriculum to deliver state-of-the-art education and training programs in biopharmaceutical processing to approximately 2,500 people annually.

Purdue University began construction in June of 2018 on a $14 million addition to the Martin C. Jischke Hall of Biomedical Engineering in West Lafayette, Ind. Designed by BSA LifeStructures, the 29,500-sf Innovation Wing will provide the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering with open-concept wet labs; translational research labs, including a behavioral core; a multidisciplinary student design lab; and support spaces. The addition will also offer active learning environments, offices for faculty and graduate students, and interactive team areas.