Higher Education

The Texas A&M University System broke ground in March of 2018 on a $42 million academic building in Bryan, Texas. Located on the RELLIS campus, the three-story, 68,000-sf facility will provide ten classrooms, over 40 faculty offices, collaboration and group learning spaces, and teaching labs for allied health and upper-division science courses. Completion is expected in June of 2019. The project is part of the planned 112,460-sf RELLIS Academic Complex which will accommodate 2,500 students upon completion. 
 

Tulane University began construction in February of 2018 on a $55 million commons building and dining hall in New Orleans. Designed by Weiss/Manfredi, the three-story, 77,000-sf facility will provide food service, study areas, two classrooms, conference and event spaces, an open-air courtyard, and a library and archives with a dedicated reading room. The project, which includes both new construction and renovated space at the west end of the Lavin-Bernick Center, will house the Newcomb College Institute on the third floor. Occupancy is expected in 2019.

Envisioned to create a new engineering complex with existing Rowan Hall, the new Engineering Hall is home to teaching and research laboratories for biomedical, civil and environmental, and electrical and computer engineering. The building includes laboratory support spaces, shops, classrooms, faculty offices, collaboration spaces, group study rooms, and student commons. The two facilities are connected by a bridge crossing a campus roadway.

Duke University began construction in March of 2017 on a $115 million facility for the Pratt School of Engineering. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the five-story, 150,000-gsf (88,000-nsf) building will feature two floors focused on active student learning, offering classrooms, teaching and design labs, a 200-seat auditorium, a Learning Commons, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Center for Energy, Engineering and Environment.

The University of Reading began construction in March of 2017 on the £55 million Health and Life Sciences Building in the United Kingdom. Located on the Whiteknights campus in Reading, the four-story, 81,000-sf project will provide two floors dedicated to wet and dry research, as well as teaching labs, seminar rooms, classrooms, offices, and the Cole Museum of Zoology.

Concordia University of Nebraska will break ground in April of 2018 on the $24.5 million Dunklau Center for Science, Math and Business in Seward. Comprising 58,000 sf of new construction and 28,000 sf of renovated space, the 86,000-sf project will accommodate programs in biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, computer science, mathematics, and business.

NextCorps opened an entrepreneurship hub in Rochester in February of 2018. Located in the Sibley Square building, the project was created by the University of Rochester, the state of New York, and the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

The University of Minnesota broke ground in February of 2018 on the $109 million Health Sciences Education Center in Minneapolis. Designed by Perkins+Will and The S/L/A/M Collaborative to support interprofessional education, the project includes the creation of a new 142,100-sf facility and renovation of 52,000 sf of existing space.

Western Kentucky University dedicated the $32.2 million Ogden College Hall in February of 2018 in Bowling Green. Designed by Ross Tarrant Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the four-story, 83,000-gsf facility provides a 300-seat auditorium, a computer lab, administrative offices for the College of Science and Engineering, and 36 laboratories for biology, chemistry, and physics. General contractor Whittenberg Construction broke ground on the project in April of 2016.

Sacred Heart University has transformed part of a former skilled nursing facility into a contemporary, residential life complex of single rooms and two- and four-bedroom suites, as well as an apartment for the resident director. The five-story Pierre Toussaint Hall is the university’s newest undergraduate dormitory located on the school’s upper quadrangle of the main campus, creating the first component of a residential village that will provide additional on-campus housing. 

The Core Labs at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia are run as a centrally governed “one lab” facility. In addition to successfully providing state-of-the-art equipment, training, and services to students, researchers, faculty, staff, industry partners, and collaborators, the core labs extend their services to external users, such as government organizations, research institutes, and other universities. By centralizing the business operations of 10 specialized labs, the model fosters collaboration, rationalizes necessary square footage, improves access to equipment and services, and eliminates duplication of resources, thus enhancing overall efficiency and reducing expenditures. 

The University of Texas at Austin opened the $186 million Robert B. Rowling Hall in February of 2018. Housing graduate programs for the McCombs School of Business, the 497,500-sf facility was designed by Jacobs and Ennead Architects to foster experiential learning and entrepreneurship. Utilizing internal glass walls for optimal transparency, the project offers technology-rich classrooms, collaboration spaces, conference rooms, and convention venues, as well as housing a state-of-the-art studio for video and sound production.

Western Carolina University officially broke ground on the $110 million Tom Apodaca Science Building in March of 2018 in Cullowhee, N.C. Designed by Lord Aeck Sargent, the project will provide teaching labs and classrooms to support programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Construction will begin in August of 2018 with occupancy expected in June of 2021. 

Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) has mandated that Building Information Modeling (BIM) be implemented in the final phase of its $9 billion construction program. LACCD, which is the largest community college district in the United States and comprises nine colleges, is also targeting net-zero energy consumption in the sustainable development of its extensive portfolio.

Taconic Biosciences, a breeder of mice and rats for medical research, opened its 8,000-sf headquarters in February of 2018 in East Greenbush, N.Y. Located in the Cancer Research Center Building on the University at Albany Health Sciences campus, the facility is strategically sited to optimize relationships with key stakeholders and customers. The space houses the company's leadership team, as well as members of its product strategy, marketing, human resources, finance, quality, customers service, and business technology units.