Energy Use Reduction

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.

EMD Serono’s Project SagaMORE has been named the 2018 Green Building of the Year by the Massachusetts chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. Located on EMD Serono's biopharmaceutical manufacturing campus in Billerica, the two-story, 30,000-sf addition offers open-plan work areas, a central auditorium, and numerous meeting spaces to support the development of advanced medical therapies. The $12 million project has jointly achieved WELL Gold certification for New & Existing Construction.

The University of Manchester opened the £60 million Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre in December of 2018 in the United Kingdom. Located in the new 91,000-sf Masdar Building on the North campus, the facility will accommodate collaborative materials science research and development with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and Khalifa University of Science and Technology.

The University of Hawaii - West Oahu opened the $32 million Administration and Allied Health Facility in December of 2018 in Kapolei. Designed by Perkins+Will and KYA Design Group to accommodate interdisciplinary health sciences education, the collaborative 44,000-sf facility provides nine classrooms, a computer lab, two support labs, faculty and administrative offices, and teaching labs for anatomy, cellular biology, microbiology, and organic chemistry.

The University of Michigan is planning to create the Central Campus Classroom Building in Ann Arbor. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative and Harley Ellis Devereaux, the project includes the renovation and repurposing of the historic Alexander G. Ruthven Museums Building to provide 135,000 gsf of computational research space, a 200-person multipurpose room, and administrative offices.

Harvard University opened HouseZero in December of 2018 in Cambridge, Mass. Acting as a living laboratory for sustainable design and construction, the project features a data-driven infrastructure with nearly 300 embedded sensors that produce 17 million data points in real time each day. Software informed by the house's sensors automatically opens and closes windows, circulating air through cross ventilation and convection flows. Algorithms informed by sensors optimize ventilation in relation to the house's mass, reducing the need for building systems almost entirely.

Cargill opened its $70 million protein headquarters in Wichita in December of 2018. Supporting product research, development, and testing, the four-story, 188,000-sf facility can accommodate up to 950 employees in open office environments designed to promote interaction and innovation. Offering collaboration spaces throughout the building, the technology-rich structure includes a café, a conference center, a state-of-the-art sensory center, and a customer presentation kitchen.

Pensacola State University broke ground in November of 2018 on a $34 million STEM facility to replace the Mary Ellison Baars Building in Pensacola, Fla. The first phase of the project includes construction of the $13 million east wing to accommodate programs in cybersecurity, computer science, advanced manufacturing, mathematics, and aviation maintenance. The three-story, 25,400-sf structure is being built by Ajax Building Corporation and completion is expected in May of 2020.

The University of Miami dedicated the Thomas P. Murphy Design Studio Building in November of 2018 in Coral Gables, Fla. Designed by Arquitectonica, the 20,000-sf facility provides the School of Architecture with a unique collaborative learning space that can accommodate up to 130 students simultaneously. The only fixed walls within the structure delineate a technology-rich fabrication lab with polymer and powder 3D printers.