Higher Education

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) is planning to break ground in 2024 on the $120 million Healthcare Delivery & Innovation Building. Designed by RDG and Clark & Enersen, the 200,000-sf facility will provide state-of-the-art learning environments for the School of Medicine and the School of Dentistry. The six-story structure will feature advanced simulation suites and clinical training labs where the next generation of medical professionals will gain hands-on experience in the delivery of team-based care. 

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) broke ground on the $131 million Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Careers Building in October of 2023. Designed by Gensler and Overland Partners, the 180,000-sf facility will accommodate applied education courses in business, engineering, and the sciences. Immersive learning venues will equip students with the crucial skills required by local employers, who are actively partnering with UTSA to create job training and internship opportunities.

Auburn University will begin construction in late 2023 on the $200 million STEM + Ag Complex in Auburn, Ala. Housing programs for the College of Science and Mathematics and the College of Agriculture, the 285,000-sf complex will accommodate the departments of mathematics and statistics, biological sciences, geosciences, horticulture, entomology and plant pathology, and crop, soil, and environmental sciences. The three-building development will provide wet and dry research labs, offices for principal investigators, collaboration spaces, and shared lab support areas.

Universities are creating spaces that merge engineering and health sciences education to produce doctors who not only can treat their patients but also can design innovative medical devices to solve the problems they encounter.

Virginia Tech opened the $79 million Data and Decision Sciences Building in October of 2023 in Blacksburg. Designed by Moseley Architects, the 120,000-gsf facility features technology-rich learning environments for programs in computer science, engineering, statistics, and other data-related fields. Fostering interaction between multiple colleges and departments, the transdisciplinary structure provides nine flexible classrooms, 32 student team rooms, 75 faculty offices, conference rooms, and specialized labs for data visualization and analysis.

SKS Partners is planning to construct the Berkeley Space Center at NASA Research Park in Mountain View. Representing a joint venture with the University of California, Berkeley, the 36-acre innovation hub at Moffett Field will catalyze technological breakthroughs spanning astronautics, aeronautics, quantum computing, climate studies, and the social sciences.

The University of Georgia dedicated the $54.1 million Poultry Science Building in Athens in October of 2023. Designed by Flad Architects, the 70,000-sf structure provides leading-edge facilities for programs in avian biology, genetics, nutrition, and product safety. The transformative development provides the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences with state-of-the-art classrooms, teaching labs, BSL-2 research labs, demonstration areas, conference rooms, and offices for faculty and staff.

The University of Texas at Austin broke ground in August of 2023 on the $261 million Engineering Discovery Building. Designed by CO Architects, the 210,000-gsf facility will provide a vibrant new home for the departments of Chemical Engineering and Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering. The seven-story structure will accommodate programs in novel biomaterials, chemical synthesis, geomechanics, and production engineering – all supported by robust computational capabilities. 

The University of California, San Francisco is planning to construct the $842 million Research and Academic Building on its Parnassus Heights campus. Designed by HGA and Snøhetta to foster interdisciplinary exchange and discovery, the 300,000-gsf facility will provide advanced laboratories for programs in oncology, microbiology, immunology, and cell biology.

The trend toward multidisciplinary science education facilities necessitates designs that are flexible and adaptable, with larger uniform lab modules and large spaces that can be divided into smaller rooms when needed.

Providence College broke ground in late September of 2023 on the Ben Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the 125,000-sf facility will provide teaching labs, active learning environments, faculty innovation labs, and a 100-seat auditorium. Featuring state-of-the-art anatomy and physiology labs with Anatomage tables, the five-story building will include clinical simulation suites with augmented and virtual reality technologies to enable immersive, experiential education. 

The University of North Texas at Dallas broke ground on the $100 million Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Building in September of 2023. Stantec is providing integrated design services for the 122,000-sf facility, which will offer up to 20 general purpose “high-flex” classrooms, nine teaching labs, three research labs, and numerous collaboration spaces. Adaptable wet labs will leverage modular infrastructure to accommodate a variety of biology and chemistry courses.

The University of California, Riverside opened the $100 million School of Medicine Education Building II in September of 2023. Created by the design-build team of CO Architects and Hensel Phelps, the 95,478-gsf facility offers 56,500 asf of innovative learning and support space. The first three floors of the five-story structure are dedicated to instruction and collaboration, augmented by sophisticated audiovisual technologies throughout.

Centennial College opened the CAD$112 million A-Building in September of 2023 in Toronto. Acting as a gateway to the school's Progress Campus in Scarborough, the highly sustainable project has attained LEED Gold certification and is the first zero-carbon, mass-timber facility at an institution of higher education in Canada. Construction of a 130,000-sf addition and the renovation of 15,000 sf of existing space has created a vibrant academic hub for the School of Engineering Technology and Applied Science.

The University of Toronto was able to repurpose leased space in an off-campus office tower into biosafety research labs for its Temerty Faculty of Medicine by implementing innovative HVAC solutions and modular design. Filtered ductless fume hoods obviated the need to vent exhaust up 20 stories to the roof, and a flexible floorplan can accommodate fluctuating research teams.