Energy Use Reduction

The National University of Singapore opened the six-story, 92,000-sf Net-Zero Energy Building in January of 2019. Providing design studios, teaching and research space, and common areas for the School of Design and Environment, SDE4 is the first new-build, net-zero facility in Singapore. WELL certification will be sought for the project, which features a rooftop solar farm with 1225 panels, a hybrid cooling system, and a narrow floorplate to optimize passive ventilation and natural lighting.

Stellenbosch University began construction in January of 2019 on the $75 million Biomedical Research Institute in Cape Town, South Africa. Providing leading-edge research facilities for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the integrated complex will include a bioinformatics hub, a clinical research unit, a biorepository, conference rooms, and labs for proteomics, electron microscopy, and flow cytometry.

Colorado State University opened the $19.5 million Nancy Richardson Design Center in January of 2019 in Fort Collins. Designed by OZ Architecture and Salt Design, the collaborative 45,000-sf facility provides a two-story atrium, design studios, technology-rich fabrication and prototyping labs, presentation spaces, classrooms, computer labs, a café, and several outdoor venues.

College of the Atlantic will begin construction in spring of 2019 on the $13 million Center for Human Ecology in Bar Harbor, Maine. Designed by GO Logic and Susan T. Rodriguez to accommodate the school's unique interdisciplinary curriculum, the two-story, 29,000-sf building will provide science labs, flexible lecture halls, faculty offices, art and design studios, and a teaching greenhouse.

Iowa State University is building the $84 million Student Innovation Center in Ames. Comprising one basement level and four stories above grade, the 140,000-sf facility will provide an inclusive environment for multidisciplinary collaboration across the university. Designed by KieranTimberlake and Substance Architecture to promote interactive learning and experimentation, the center will offer an auditorium, classrooms, meeting rooms, fabrication areas, staff offices, and a café.

Clemson University is building the $90 million College of Business in North Charleston, S.C. Comprising two towers connected on the ground and first floors by an expansive outdoor stairway and plaza, the collaborative 176,000-sf facility will provide classrooms, labs, an atrium, a board room, a business center, incubator space, a café, a flat-floor auditorium with 220 seats, and faculty and administrative offices.

Ryerson University opened the Centre for Urban Innovation in January of 2018 in Toronto. Designed by Moriyama & Teshima and ERA Architects, the CAD$46 million project included the renovation and expansion of an existing structure to create a 40,000-sf facility providing wet and dry research labs, fabrication suites, a maker space, and offices for business incubation and commercialization.

East Carolina University opened the $122 million Main Campus Student Center in January of 2019 in Greenville, N.C. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 220,000-sf facility features a 10,000-sf commons, a 250-seat black box theater, a divisible 14,000-sf ballroom, and multiple dining options. The center also offers a game room, student lounges, meeting spaces, study areas, retail amenities, a 724-space parking garage, and a massive outdoor digital display for communal viewing of sporting and media events.

Eastern Michigan University opened the renovated and expanded Strong Hall in Ypsilanti in January of 2019. Designed by Stantec, the $40 million project creates flexible teaching and research labs, classrooms, and lecture halls for STEM education including programs in geology, geography, physics, and astronomy. Featuring internal glass walls to put science on display, the 80,700-sf facility provides an atrium, a 200-seat auditorium, a maker space, a machine shop, a laser lab, faculty offices, conference rooms, and huddle spaces.

The University of Cambridge broke ground in January of 2019 on a £300 million expansion of the Cavendish Laboratory in the United Kingdom. The project includes construction of the 355,000-sf Ray Dolby Centre to provide the department of physics with additional laboratories, cleanrooms, lecture halls, offices, and workshops. A basement level with advanced vibration and EMI mitigation technologies will accommodate sensitive instrumentation.

Montana State University opened the $53 million Norm Asbjornson Hall in January of 2019 in Bozeman. Designed by ZGF Architects and A&E Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the three-story, 110,000-sf facility houses both the College of Engineering and the Honors College. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which provides 17 teaching labs, 10 classrooms, offices, and a presentation hall.

The University of Sheffield will begin construction in early 2019 on a £65 million social sciences building in the United Kingdom. Designed by HLM Architects, the four-story, 178,000-sf facility will accommodate 13 departments and multiple research institutes in an innovative working environment. The interdisciplinary building will provide a central atrium, collaborative lecture halls, seminar rooms, social spaces, study areas, computer rooms, a research hub, and a café.

Georgia Southern University opened the $23 million Health Professions Academic Building in January of 2019 in Statesboro, Ga. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative to accommodate team-based learning, the technology-rich facility provides advanced simulation training suites, clinical skills labs, and instructional spaces. Illuminated by abundant natural light, the sustainably designed structure features the 8,193-sf St. Joseph’s/Candler Nursing Suite and the Memorial Health Active Learning Studio.

Gustavus Adolphus College is engaged in a $70 million expansion and renovation of the Nobel Hall of Science in St. Peter, Minn. Designed by Hastings+Chivetta with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the project includes construction of a 74,000-sf addition on the south side housing classrooms, study spaces, and labs. On the north side, a 12,400-sf expansion will highlight student/faculty research projects and showcase the College’s signature event, The Nobel Conference.

Cornerstone College opened the $15.5-million Jack and Mary De Witt Center for Science and Technology in December of 2018 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Designed by Progressive AE to put science on display, the three-story, 30,000-sf structure provides seven labs, 17 faculty offices, a variety of instructional spaces, and group study areas to support STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Constructed using sustainable materials, the state-of-the-art facility features a two-story biowall that purifies the building’s internal air.