Vanderbilt University’s new Engineering and Science Building (ESB) brings the physical sciences and engineering together to expand interdisciplinary research in biomedical engineering, energy, and materials; recruit faculty in areas of nanotechnology and environmental engineering; and create a new undergraduate research-focused culture on campus.
The University of Vermont celebrated the opening of the 100,000-gsf Discovery Hall in October of 2017 in Burlington. The interdisciplinary facility was designed by Ellenzweig and Freeman French Freeman to support STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Discovery Hall provides 14 flexible teaching labs and 22 faculty research labs for the departments of chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, mechanical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, and electrical and biomedical engineering.
Wexford Science & Technology broke ground in late September of 2017 on a $158 million innovation center in Providence, R.I. Cambridge Innovation Center and Brown University's School of Professional Studies have signed leases for space in the 191,000-sf facility, which will include civic and nonprofit conference venues, meeting rooms, and a café. Wexford is working with developer CV Properties of Boston on the delivery of the project.
Savannah State University opened two new science facilities in September of 2017 in Savannah, Ga. The two-story, 30,000-sf Science and Technology Center provides labs and faculty offices for programs in chemistry, civil engineering, and electrical engineering technology. The 17,000-sf Marine Science Building features a deep water access facility and labs for dolphin survey, necropsy, fish ecology, ocean acidification, environmental toxicology, and coastal biophysics.
Rutgers University-Camden dedicated the $62.5 million Nursing and Science building in September of 2017. Designed by Perkins Eastman, the 100,000-sf facility connects Rutger’s Camden campus with Cooper University Hospital and provides simulation training facilities, teaching labs, classrooms, computer labs, conference rooms, lecture halls, study spaces, and faculty and administrative offices.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham broke ground in late September of 2017 on a $39.5 million facility for the College of Arts & Sciences. Designed by Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, the two-wing, 160,000-sf project will house the departments of anthropology, computer and information sciences, English, foreign languages and literatures, mathematics, philosophy, and social work. The technology-rich building will also include spacious classrooms, a 300-seat auditorium, administrative offices, performance areas, and a storm shelter.
Kent State University celebrated the opening of the $37.6 million Integrated Sciences Building in September of 2017 in Kent, Ohio. Designed by Ayers Saint Gross and built by Turner Construction, the 66,000-gsf interdisciplinary facility provides classrooms, teaching labs, research labs, and faculty offices for the departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, and Physics.
The visually stunning, environmentally sustainable Cornell Tech graduate school opened this September on New York’s Roosevelt Island—a 12-acre stretch of land in the middle of the East River between Manhattan and Queens—creating what is intended to be a leading hub for technology education and business innovation in the center of the city. The new school was developed in response to a competition announced in 2010 by former mayor Michael Bloomberg to develop an applied-sciences and technology campus that could diversify the city’s economy beyond its traditional finance, advertising, and media sectors. Ideally, this new institution will transform NYC into the Silicon Valley of the east.
University of South Florida Health began construction in September of 2017 on a $173 million facility to house the Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in Tampa. Designed by HOK, the 319,000-sf project will provide laboratories, learning spaces, conference rooms, faculty offices, an auditorium, a clinical trials unit, and a cardiac care facility. Sited in a $3 billion development created by Strategic Property Partners, the building is located near Tampa General Hospital and USF’s simulation training center.
The University of Texas at Austin opened the $310 million Engineering Education and Research Center (EERC) in late September of 2017. Designed by Ennead Architects and Jacobs, the nine-story, 433,000-sf facility provides the Cockrell School of Engineering with multidisciplinary research labs, teaching labs, classrooms, meeting rooms, faculty offices, a three-story atrium, and a 267-seat auditorium.
Cornell Tech opened the first phase of its Roosevelt Island campus in New York in September of 2017. Representing a partnership between Cornell University and Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, the project includes:
The Don & Cathy Jacobs Science Building at the University of Kentucky integrates multiple disciplines under one roof, for both teaching and research. The facility is designed to encourage discovery and support problem-based learning, with state-of-the-art undergraduate chemistry, biology, and neuroscience facilities; 12 technology-enhanced active learning (TEAL) environments; large tiered lecture halls; classrooms; and learning center spaces.
Monash University is constructing the Biomedical Learning and Teaching Building in Victoria. Designed by Denton Corker Marshall, the $81 million facility will feature four flexible labs that can be configured and conjoined to accommodate 60, 120, or 240 students. Supporting programs in microbiology, anatomy, biochemistry, immunology, and physiology, the 123,700-sf building will provide Physical Containment Level 2 (PC2) labs, technology-rich dissection labs, breakout spaces, and a 12,900-sf informal learning hub.
Michigan State University opened the $88.1 million Grand Rapids Research Center in September of 2017. The six-story, 162,800-sf project provides the College of Human Medicine with open laboratories to support up to 44 biomedical research teams. Designed and engineered by SmithGroupJJR with Ellenzweig as laboratory design consultant, the vibration-mitigated facility features core labs for flow cytometry, bioinformatics, and microscopy.
Sinclair Community College opened the $31.5 million Sifferlen Health Sciences Center in August of 2017 in Dayton, Ohio. Designed by LWC to support collaborative medical education, the 141,350-sf project included the renovation of an existing 80,170-sf building and construction of a 61,180-sf addition. Featuring advanced simulation training suites, the facility provides a centralized location for the college’s health science classrooms and will accommodate 53 degree and certificate programs.
