Higher Education

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.

Oregon State University is planning a $50 million expansion of the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. Designed by Yost Grube Hall as a model of safe construction in a tsunami inundation zone, the 72,000-sf facility will feature vertical evacuation ramps rising from ground level to the top of the structure. The project will include a three-story teaching and research building adjoining a two-story wing housing an auditorium, an innovation lab, and community space. Construction is expected to begin in spring of 2018 with occupancy in fall of 2019.

Columbia College broke ground in November of 2017 on a $50 million student center in Chicago. Designed by Gensler, the five-story, 114,000-sf project will have transparent atrium spaces located on the perimeter of the building to enhance the visibility of student activities. Providing both structured and informal interaction and learning facilities, the five-story hub will feature analog and digital makerspaces, study lofts, dance studios, a fitness center, dining areas, and an 800-person event space. Completion is expected in early 2019. 

The University of South Australia is constructing the AUD$247 million Health Innovation Building in Adelaide. Located in the Biomed City development, the 310,000-gsf facility will house the Centre for Cancer Biology, the Museum of Discovery, the Innovation and Collaboration Centre, health teaching clinics, a vivarium, and an atrium. Construction began on the 14-story project in 2015 and occupancy is expected in mid-2018.

The four-story, 191,000-gsf University Hall at University of Massachusetts Boston contains general purpose classrooms and three academic departments: art, performing arts, and chemistry. The building intentionally blends the arts and sciences to create a collaborative learning experience for students that opens the possibilities for a true ‘Renaissance’ academic engagement. University Hall establishes the academic hub of the University and brings a sense of collegial unity to the campus.

Washington State University is designing two new research facilities that will be constructed on the Pullman campus. The $40 million Global Animal Health Facility Phase 2 will support the detection and diagnosis of zoonotic diseases and infectious agents such as avian influenza, BSE, foot and mouth disease, West Nile virus, and pandemic flu. The project will also house teaching labs for veterinary medicine.

Saint Vincent College dedicated the $5.8 million James F. Will Engineering and Biomedical Sciences Hall in November of 2017. Designed by MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, the two-story, 11,260-sf facility features the Liberatore Human Anatomy Teaching Laboratory, a technology-rich facility that can accommodate up to six surgical stations in a simulated operating room environment.

The Milwaukee School of Engineering will break ground in mid-2018 on the $34 million Dwight and Dian Diercks Computational Science Hall in Milwaukee. Supporting programs in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and robotics, the 64,000-sf academic facility will provide classrooms, laboratories, an auditorium, a business incubator, and a data center housing a GPU-accelerated supercomputer. The Diercks Computational Science Hall is being designed by Uihlein/Wilson-Ramlow/Stein Architects.

Davidson College completed the $74 million Interdisciplinary Science Center in November of 2017 in Davidson, N.C. Designed by Shepley Bulfinch, the project included construction of the two-wing, 135,300-sf E. Craig Wall Jr. Academic Center and the renovation of the adjoining Martin Laboratory. Housing the departments of biology, chemistry, environmental science, psychology, and neuroscience, the facility offers collaborative teaching and research labs, interactive learning environments, faculty offices, and a central atrium with a 120-seat forum.