Energy Use Reduction

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is planning a $75.4 million renovation and expansion of its engineering complex. Construction will begin in June of 2019 on the demolition and replacement of the Link, a 25,307-gsf structure connecting Scott Engineering Center to Nebraska Hall. Slated for completion in summer of 2022, the new 87,000-gsf facility will accommodate leading-edge research labs and support. A new mechanical tower will also be constructed.

Okanagan College broke ground in August of 2018 on the CAD$18.9 million Health Sciences Centre in Kelowna, British Columbia. Designed by GEC Architecture to promote interaction and integration between academic departments, the collaborative facility will be constructed to attain multiple sustainable design certifications, including LEED Gold, WELL Silver, and the Zero Carbon Building Standard. The project includes construction of a 30,139-sf addition that will replace an existing 1960s-era structure.

Rice University will break ground in August of 2018 on the $38 million Kraft Hall for Social Sciences in Houston. Designed by Rogers Partners, the four-story, 73,000-sf facility will provide classrooms, labs, student lounges, faculty offices, seminar and conference rooms, and a multipurpose venue able to accommodate 300 people. Kraft Hall will house the Texas Policy Lab, the Houston Education Research Consortium, the Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance, and the Kinder Institute for Urban Research.

Red River College began construction in July of 2018 on the CAD$95 million Innovation Centre in Winnipeg. Located on the Exchange District campus, the 100,000-sf facility incorporates a repurposed heritage building and new construction to create a dynamic crossroads with advanced facilities for applied research, entrepreneurship. and commercialization.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is building the new Pinnacle Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. Designed by Stantec to provide integrated, patient-centric care, the 220,000-sf facility will offer 130 private rooms, surgical suites with robotic technologies, cardiovascular catheterization labs, a labor and delivery unit, a 14-bed critical care unit, and a 28-room emergency department. An adjacent 75,000-sf building will house an outpatient surgery center, an imaging suite, an infusion center, and other support functions.

The University of Vermont is planning to build the $45 million Biomedical Research Complex in Burlington. Designed by Payette and Black River Design, the project includes construction of a 60,000-gsf (35,000-asf) facility to provide flexible, collaborative research space for the Larner College of Medicine. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which will allow faculty and staff to share resources efficiently across disciplines and departments.

Rowan University and Rutgers University-Camden are building the Joint Health Sciences Center in Camden, N.J. Designed by HOK, the $70 million project comprises two joined buildings offering classrooms, laboratories, offices, and research space. Camden County College will also utilize the four-story, 95,000-sf complex, which will include a 30,000-sf simulation training center for Rowan’s School of Osteopathic Medicine and CCC’s allied health program.

Eastern Washington University broke ground in June of 2018 on the 101,352-sf Interdisciplinary Science Center in Cheney. The four-story project will provide a 100-seat classroom, teaching labs, study areas, offices, and support spaces for the departments of biology, chemistry, geology, and physics. A minimum of LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility, which will be physically connected to the existing science building by enclosed walkways.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals opened a 170,000-sf R&D facility in San Diego in June of 2018. Although over 70 percent of the Torrey Pines center is dedicated to research, the project also features a 4,000-sf business incubator suite and a 1,500-sf learning lab for STEAM programs in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. Alexandria Real Estate Equities oversaw construction of the leased site, which has attained LEED Gold sustainable design certification.

Montana State University Billings is planning to renovate an existing facility to create the 80,000-sf Yellowstone Science and Allied Health Building. Designed by Dowling Studio Architects, the $15 million project includes construction of a three-story, 30,000-sf addition providing 16 teaching labs, 11 research labs, classrooms, and a shared equipment core. Accommodating the growing College of Allied Health, the multidisciplinary project will feature an athletic training lab with sophisticated performance testing and measurement technologies.

Williams College opened the $66 million South Science Building in June of 2018. Located in Williamstown, Mass., the 78,000-sf interdisciplinary teaching and research facility provides 30 laboratories, 31 faculty offices, a microscopy suite, and a machine shop with a design lab, 3D printers, and laser and plasma cutters. Designed by Payette to promote interaction and collaboration, the four-story, 78,000-sf building accommodates programs in biology, chemistry, and physics.

The University of California, San Diego broke ground in June of 2018 on the $627 million North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood. Covering over 10 acres, the 1.6 million-gsf mixed-use project will provide 2,000 undergraduate beds, 1,200 underground parking spaces, a craft center, and dining and retail amenities. New academic facilities will include the Public Engagement Building to accommodate social sciences programs, and an arts and humanities facility housing the departments of history, literature, and philosophy.

Renovating an old science complex can be a cost-effective way to transform a 1970s relic into an education facility for the 21st century. The Gant Science Complex, built between 1970 and 1974 on the Storrs campus of the University of Connecticut, is big—285,000 sf—but outdated and environmentally inefficient, with an R value in the single digits. It also reflects old-fashioned science teaching and research methods, making it hard to enable the kind of collaborative learning used today.

The University of Connecticut celebrated the opening of the $95 million Engineering and Science Building in June of 2018 in Storrs. Designed by Mitchell Giurgola Architects, the five-story, 118,000-gsf structure provides open-concept laboratories, instructional spaces, collaboration areas, and faculty offices to accommodate STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Saint-Gobain, a leading manufacturer of innovative building materials, has released the results of an occupant comfort study for its new North American headquarters in Malvern, Pa., a facility that has attained double LEED Platinum certification. Developed in partnership with the University of Oregon’s High Performance Environments Lab (HiPE), the longitudinal study revealed that a systems-based design approach utilizing multiple solutions and strategies can have a stronger collective impact on a building’s ability to optimize occupant comfort.