Science education programs in the U.S. and Europe expect their graduates to be able to think analytically, solve problems creatively and collaboratively, and be critical consumers of information. To support their progress, they must have strategically planned buildings and an integrated curriculum. Universities in Dublin, Ireland, and Lexington, Kentucky, offer tangible examples of this evolution in science education.
Sacramento State University broke ground in September of 2017 on the $91 million Science II facility in Sacramento, Calif. Accommodating the departments of biology and chemistry, the five-story, 96,631-sf project will offer 30 glass-walled teaching and research labs, classrooms, collaboration spaces, a 2,500-sf planetarium, and a rooftop observatory. The design-build team includes CO Architects and Sundt Construction.
The University of Oregon broke ground in October of 2017 on the $39 million Tykeson Hall in Eugene. Collocating academic space and the career advising offices of the College of Arts and Sciences, the five-story, 64,000-sf facility will provide 340 general classroom seats, a student commons, and faculty and staff offices. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility, which will feature daylighting, natural ventilation, radiant floors, chilled beams, and a high-performance building envelope.
The University of Michigan is planning to begin construction in spring of 2018 on the $90 million Engineering Laboratory Building (ELB) in Dearborn. Designed by SmithGroupJJR, the 120,000-sf project will include 63,000 sf of new construction and 57,000 sf of renovated space. Promoting collaborative learning and innovation, the multidisciplinary facility will offer 28 labs, 23 faculty offices, and five general classrooms.
Purdue University is planning to break ground in fall of 2018 on a $35 million equine hospital at the College of Veterinary Medicine in West Lafayette, Ind. Offering clinical, research, and instructional space, the 76,000-sf facility will include an imaging suite, an intensive care unit, and technology-rich operating rooms. The project represents the first phase of the redevelopment of Purdue’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. A small animal facility and a food animal building will be constructed in the future.
While the drive to revamp engineering education continues to gather steam, the bold approach pioneered by the U.K.’s first new university in four decades is more revolutionary than evolutionary. Describing itself as “an unprecedented opportunity to inspire and teach a new generation of engineering talent,” New Model in Technology & Education (NMiTE) will debut with innovations such as a three-year degree program, unconventional admissions criteria, a mandate for gender balance, and a facilities design that won’t be finalized until students give it a trial run.
Tufts University opened the 177,000-gsf Science and Engineering Complex in October of 2017 in Boston. The $110 million project included construction of a five-story, 79,000-sf facility and the renovation of two adjoining halls. Designed to promote collaborative research in life science, neuroscience, and environmental science, the new building provides three floors of wet research space, four core facilities, two imaging suites, a mass spectrometer suite, four teaching labs, and seven meeting rooms.
Morgan State University opened the $79 million Martin D. Jenkins Hall in September of 2017. Housing five behavioral and social sciences departments, the 148,000-sf facility provides a 170-seat auditorium, flexible classrooms for traditional lectures or group learning, collaboration areas, and an instructional design development suite to support the continuing education of faculty. Designed by HOK and Quinn Evans Architects, the technology-rich building includes virtual reality computer suites and a makerspace with 3D printers.
Oklahoma State University opened the $45 million Tandy Medical Academic Building in Tulsa in September of 2017. Located at the OSU Center for Health Sciences, the four-story, 84,000-sf facility provides advanced simulation training suites including an emergency room, an intensive care unit, a birthing suite, an operating room, and an ambulance bay. The project also offers over 20 small breakout rooms, 18 exam rooms, three lecture halls, classrooms, conference rooms, study carrels, and a simulated hospital and manipulation lab for the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Daley College broke ground in September of 2017 on a $45 million expansion and renovation project to create the Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Center in Chicago. Designed by JGMA and CannonDesign, the project includes the recladding of an existing building and construction of a 57,000-sf addition. Supporting advanced manufacturing training programs, the facility will provide five engineering and production labs, three classrooms, high bay spaces, administrative offices, and student collaboration areas.
UT Southwestern is initiating a $480 million expansion of William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital in Dallas. Providing a consolidated location for medical specialties, the 12-story, 650,000-sf tower will house the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, 19 operating rooms, an emergency department, and acute inpatient care facilities. The project will provide 300 new beds and two parking structures. Occupancy is expected in 2020.
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.
