Northern State University is planning to begin construction in spring of 2018 on the $25 million Regional Science Education Center in Aberdeen, S.D. Comprising two wings, the 54,000-sf facility will offer an 80-student classroom, two 35-student classrooms, and faculty offices on one side, and laboratories and conference rooms on the other. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2019.
Carleton University will begin construction in 2018 on a $48 million facility for the Sprott School of Business in Ottawa. Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects, the six-story, 100,000-sf Nicol Building will feature flexible learning environments, collaboration spaces, conference rooms, and a dedicated venture accelerator for the Carleton Entrepreneurs. The technology-rich facility will accommodate executive and management training programs for business leaders as well as offering a variety of event and meeting venues.
Duke University began site work in December of 2017 on a new home for the School of Nursing in Durham, N.C. Designed to deliver an instructional model of patient-centered care across multiple medical disciplines, the five-story, 102,000-sf building will house a simulation training center, faculty and administrative offices, the Center for Nursing Research, and the Duke Health Center for Interprofessional Education. The facility will also accommodate the Doctor of Physical Therapy program and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery.
Northwestern University is planning to build a new commons facility in Evanston, Ill. Designed by Ennead Architects, the $180 million University Commons will be a dynamic, open structure accessible from multiple sides on two levels. The 209,000-sf project will house a black box theater, an auditorium, a large multipurpose room, study spaces, meeting rooms, and collaboration areas. A construction schedule has not yet been established.
Bucknell University will begin construction in spring of 2018 on the $38 million Academic East facility in Lewisburg, Pa. Designed by Stantec, the 78,000-sf project will provide four classrooms and 30 offices that will be shared by the College of Engineering and the Department of Education. The facility will also house over 25 engineering labs to accommodate collaborative research on materials science, fluid mechanics, food science, and sustainable transportation to enable the development of technologies for the optimization of human health.
The Hull McKnight Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center began construction in December of 2017 on a 165,000-sf technology incubator and workforce development facility in Augusta. Slated for completion in late 2018, the five-story project is supported by $35 million in state funding and represents the center's second phase of construction. A $60 million, 167,000-sf cybersecurity research facility is currently under construction at the site and completion is expected in July of 2018.
Swarthmore College is constructing the $120 million Biology, Engineering, and Psychology Building in Swarthmore, Pa. Designed by Ballinger, the 160,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will feature flexible classrooms, labs, and common spaces to support enhanced pedagogical experiences linked to environmental sustainability. The project will be developed according to Swarthmore’s Environmental Sustainability Framework, a standard equivalent to LEED Platinum, with some elements exceeding LEED Platinum criteria.
The University of Illinois at Chicago broke ground in November of 2017 on the Engineering Innovation Building. Housing the departments of chemical engineering, mechanical and industrial engineering, civil engineering, and materials science, the 58,665-gsf (35,335-nsf) facility will provide teaching and research labs, classrooms, student project areas, a high-bay structural research lab, a chemical engineering pilot plant, and offices for faculty and staff.
South Dakota State University is planning a $55 million expansion and renovation of its agricultural science facilities in Brookings. The project includes a $7 million renovation of the existing Berg Agricultural Hall and construction of the $32 million Precision Agriculture Facility. Featuring collaborative teaching and research labs, the new 129,000-sf structure will offer classrooms, offices, conference rooms, and industrial laboratories to support programs in precision agriculture, a modern farming approach that emphasizes efficiency, technology, and sustainability.
Towson University broke ground in December of 2017 on the $184 million New Science Complex in Towson, Md. Supporting STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the 316,000-sf facility will provide 50 teaching labs, 30 research labs, 50 classrooms, 10 student collaboration areas, eight lecture halls, and a vivarium. The project will also include an outdoor classroom, a planetarium, an observatory, a museum, a rain garden, and a rooftop greenhouse. The general contractor is Whiting-Turner.
Carilion Clinic is partnering with Virginia Tech on the construction of a $90 million research and teaching facility in Roanoke. Designed by AECOM, the 139,000-sf Virginia Tech Carilion Biomedical Research Expansion will provide collaborative, technology-rich laboratories and experiential learning areas.
As many institutions of higher education increase STEM offerings, the impact can be more pronounced at liberal arts colleges, because the growth in STEM typically results in new construction or renovation in their only science building. The construction of new space is most challenging in organic chemistry, where the number of fume hoods per section is a unique pedagogical requirement. To avoid disrupting a department entirely during construction, an institution can encourage students to take a course elsewhere—at a community college or nearby university partner—or to plan their schedule to avoid the downtime. But this reduces only the number of sections, not the entire need, because maintaining the faculty’s teaching ability and course’s availability to students are critical to the institutional mission. The solution is to find or create swing space.
The University of California, San Diego is planning to expand the Jacobs College of Engineering with the construction of Franklin Antonio Hall. Supported by a $30 million philanthropic contribution, the 200,000-sf facility will feature eleven collaboratories for team-based research, a 250-seat teaching auditorium, a high-bay lab, multipurpose classrooms, faculty offices, and flexible meeting rooms. Antonio Hall will be built to attain the LEED Platinum sustainable design certification or an equivalent rating. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2021.
St. Louis Community College will break ground in March of 2018 on the $39 million Center for Nursing & Health Sciences. Designed by KAI Design & Build to accommodate 11 health programs under one roof, the four-story, 96,000-sf facility will offer teaching labs, classrooms, flexible learning spaces, and a dental clinic. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which is slated for completion in fall of 2019.
The University of Arkansas dedicated the $17 million Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences in November of 2017 in Fayetteville. Designed by WER Architects, the two-story, 54,000-sf facility provides researchers from the Division of Agriculture with multidisciplinary laboratories and greenhouses for the study of plant and animal science. Comprising two wings, the project includes administrative offices for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and meeting rooms to accommodate conferences and workshops.
