Higher Education

Oregon State University is building the $79.5 million Forest Science Complex in Corvallis. The 85,000-sf project includes construction of the 20,000-sf Advanced Wood Building Products Laboratory, which will feature high bay research space, robotic manufacturing systems, and a strong floor for full-scale product testing. Completion is expected in January of 2020. An academic building supporting programs in forestry, wood science, and renewable materials will also be constructed.

The University of Illinois at Chicago broke ground on a $100 million mixed-use living and learning complex in January of 2018. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, the project includes a 10-story undergraduate residence hall and a two-story academic building.

San Diego State University dedicated the $95 million Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences Complex in January of 2018. Designed by AC Martin Architects to promote interaction and collaboration, the 85,000-sf project provides 11,500 sf of instructional space and 17 multidisciplinary labs with advanced instrumentation. The five-story facility features a nanofabrication suite, a creative design center, and an entrepreneurship hub.

Indiana University Health broke ground in January of 2018 on the $400 million Bloomington Regional Academic Health Center. Supporting collaborative interprofessional education, the 735,000-sf complex will include a technology-rich simulation training center and the $45 million, 115,000-sf Academic Health Sciences building to accommodate programs in medicine, nursing, social work, dentistry, and speech and hearing sciences.

The University of Washington opened the $87.8 million Nanoengineering & Sciences Building in December of 2017 in Seattle. Designed by ZGF, the 90,300-gsf interdisciplinary facility provides advanced research and teaching spaces for the departments of bioengineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, and materials sciences. Strategically sited and constructed to minimize vibration, the building is located adjacent to the existing Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute to foster collaboration.

The Boston Society of Architects announced the winners of its 2017 design award in January of 2018.

College of the Canyons broke ground on its 55,000-sf Science Center in January of 2018 in Santa Clarita, Calif. Primarily accommodating programs in the physical and biological sciences, the four-story building will provide eight labs, 10 science service rooms, 24 faculty offices, group study rooms, computer labs, classrooms, and a 75-seat lecture hall. Completion is expected in late 2019. College of the Canyons is also planning to construct the four-story Student Services and Learning Resources Building.

University College Birmingham broke ground in January of 2018 on a £29 million teaching and sports science facility in the United Kingdom. Accommodating both graduate and undergraduate programs, the four-story, 91,500-sf building will provide eight classrooms, three 100-seat lecture halls, faculty and staff offices, and flexible learning spaces. The facility will feature a spacious dining area, an advanced gymnasium, and a 115-ft indoor running track for performance and speed assessments.

Georgia State University is planning to construct a $35 million biocontainment research facility in Atlanta. Located on the Downtown campus, the 55,000-sf building will provide BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratories for the study of infectious diseases and select agents. The project, which will be the first academic BSL-4 facility in the Southeast, will include open research labs, offices, and support space. 

The University of Tennessee is constructing the $118 million Ken and Blaire Mossman Building in Knoxville. Designed by McCarty Holsaple McCarty and Lord Aeck Sargent, the six-story, 222,000-sf facility will accommodate programs in microbiology, psychology, nutrition, biochemistry, and cellular and molecular biology. Offering spaces for both structured and unstructured interaction, the collaborative project includes classrooms ranging from 81 to 126 seats, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, a 228-seat auditorium, and a café.

The SUNY College at Oneonta’s extensive rehabilitation of the Physical Science Building (PSB) includes renovation of 58,000 gsf and 18,000 gsf in new construction. The 1970s brick building with a concrete structure required replacement of about 70 percent of the exterior envelope, including the northwestern elevation to control glare and solar heat gain. The brick addition complements the style of the campus at large, with syncopated windows facing southeast, and glass and metal panel accents all around.

Carleton University opened the CAD$52 million Academic Health Science Building in January of 2018 in Ottawa. Designed by Montgomery Sisam Architects and NXL Architects, the seven-story, 120,000-sf facility provides undergraduate teaching labs, research labs, lecture halls, offices, and study spaces to support neuroscience and health science programs. The project includes two floors of shell space to allow for future growth, as well as an animal research vivarium on the seventh floor that will open later in 2018.

The Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing is planning to build a $12.7 million apprentice academy adjacent to its existing 62,000-sf facility in Disputanta, Va. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 36,000-sf addition will support training programs in advanced manufacturing with classrooms and workshops for the development of skills in mechatronics, welding, fabrication, and machinery. Completion is expected by 2020.

Prism Capital Partners is engaged in the redevelopment of the former Hoffmann-La Roche site in New Jersey to create the ON3 campus. Providing integrated research, office, and recreational facilities, the mixed-use campus currently houses a 73,000-sf laboratory building partially leased by biofabrication firm Modern Meadow, with plans for the construction of an adjacent pilot manufacturing plant under way.

The University of New Mexico opened the renovated Farris Engineering Center in Albuquerque in January of 2018. The $25.5 million project utilized the concrete structural skeleton of the original building that was constructed in 1967 to create a collaborative environment with ample natural light for the departments of chemical and biological engineering, computer science, and nuclear engineering.