Higher Education

The University of Texas at Austin opened the $186 million Robert B. Rowling Hall in February of 2018. Housing graduate programs for the McCombs School of Business, the 497,500-sf facility was designed by Jacobs and Ennead Architects to foster experiential learning and entrepreneurship. Utilizing internal glass walls for optimal transparency, the project offers technology-rich classrooms, collaboration spaces, conference rooms, and convention venues, as well as housing a state-of-the-art studio for video and sound production.

Western Carolina University officially broke ground on the $110 million Tom Apodaca Science Building in March of 2018 in Cullowhee, N.C. Designed by Lord Aeck Sargent, the project will provide teaching labs and classrooms to support programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Construction will begin in August of 2018 with occupancy expected in June of 2021. 

Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) has mandated that Building Information Modeling (BIM) be implemented in the final phase of its $9 billion construction program. LACCD, which is the largest community college district in the United States and comprises nine colleges, is also targeting net-zero energy consumption in the sustainable development of its extensive portfolio.

Taconic Biosciences, a breeder of mice and rats for medical research, opened its 8,000-sf headquarters in February of 2018 in East Greenbush, N.Y. Located in the Cancer Research Center Building on the University at Albany Health Sciences campus, the facility is strategically sited to optimize relationships with key stakeholders and customers. The space houses the company's leadership team, as well as members of its product strategy, marketing, human resources, finance, quality, customers service, and business technology units.

Cañada College will begin construction in spring of 2018 on the Math, Science and Technology building in Redwood City, Calif. The three-story, 50,000-sf facility will offer flexible classrooms, teaching labs, faculty offices, and an indoor/outdoor learning commons. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the net-zero project, which will also participate in the PG&E Savings by Design Program, which provides services to help meet and exceed California’s Title 24 energy efficiency requirements.

Promedica and the University of Toledo will open a $57 million joint neurosciences center in April of 2018. Located on the campus of ProMedica Toledo Hospital, the three-story, 122,000-sf building will house physician offices for multiple neurological specialties, a research clinic, imaging and diagnostic suites, and academic space to support medical training and residency programs. The general contractor for the patient-centric facility is Rudolph Libbe. 

What the university needs: A spacious, modern science building, with an additional 5,000 sf. What the university has: An old, dark, rather cramped classroom building, built for a different era in education, with inadequate systems, and no room to expand. It’s a common problem on university campuses, and in many cases solving it requires flexibility, creativity, and patience. At the University of Pittsburgh, Howard Skoke, AIA, of EwingCole Architects and Engineers and the university’s own Ilona Beresford worked together on a six-month master plan to devise a $65 million modernization. The project, scheduled to begin construction in May 2019, will open the building to new uses and adapt its systems for health and efficiency. At the same time, it will preserve a historic exterior and cost far less than a new building.

The School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) campus expansion and construction of the new East Building alongside Clarks Cove consolidates UMass Dartmouth’s entire Marine Science research and teaching program at one site, with its over 120 faculty, staff, and students. The campus also accommodates the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) South Coast operations and its 50 staff, enhancing the continuing collaborations of SMAST and DMF in support of sustainable fisheries.

The University of Maryland is planning to build the $50 million Innovate, Design, and Engineer for America Factory in College Park. Offering open student workspaces, prototyping suites, and studios for engineering design and instruction, the 60,000-sf facility will include a student-run incubator and research labs for robotics, manufacturing, quantum technology, and transportation. The collaborative project will be built on the site of the existing Potomac Building and will physically connect to the Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building.

Biola University dedicated the $63 million Alton and Lydia Lim Center for Science, Technology and Health in February of 2018 in La Mirada, Calif. The 91,200-sf facility provides 24 teaching labs, three faculty research labs, a fabrication lab, a computer lab, and 70 offices. The building also offers five lecture classrooms, a greenhouse, an observatory, and suites for nursing skills simulation, applied physiology, and anatomy.

AgResearch, one of New Zealand's leading Crown Research Institutes, is partnering with Massey University to build the NZD$45 million Food Science Facility. Located on Massey's Manawatū campus, the three-story, 54,000-sf project will provide labs and shared spaces to support teaching and research programs in meat and dairy production.

Princeton University is partnering with BioLabs to create the 31,000-sf Princeton Innovation Center BioLabs on the James Forrestal Campus in New Jersey. Accommodating up to 25 startup companies, the business incubator and coworking space will offer 68 lab benches, private offices, and hot desks in a collaborative environment designed to foster entrepreneurial innovation. Occupancy is expected in April of 2018. BioLabs is a national provider of shared lab and office facilities, with locations in San Francisco, San Diego, Boston, and New York. 

California State University-Chico will break ground in fall of 2018 on a $101 million physical sciences building. Providing teaching labs for chemistry, physics, geology, and science education, the four-story, 110,200-sf STEM facility will include active learning classrooms, graduate research studios, collaboration spaces, administrative and faculty offices, and an interactive lab for elementary school programs.

Colby-Sawyer College’s new Center for Arts + Design provides 24/7 access to safe, well-ventilated studio and support space for ceramics, sculpture, graphic design, photography, drawing, printmaking, painting, and sculpture; a black box theater; a fine art gallery with views of Mount Kearsarge; an outdoor sculpture garden; and offices for faculty. The Bill and Sonja Davidow '56 Fine Art Gallery offers a range of national and international museum-quality exhibitions in a variety of media, as well as expanded opportunities for students and professional artists.

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is building the $82 million Prairie Springs Science Center. Designed by SmithGroupJJR and River Architects, the 187,000-sf facility will provide 36 instructional labs and 23 research labs. The LEED-certified project will create a distinctive new home for the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Geography/Earth Science, Mathematics, Microbiology, Physics, and River Studies, as well as housing the offices of the Dean of the College of Science and Health.