Sustainability

The University of Newcastle began construction in February of 2020 on a AUD$25 million facility for the School of Creative Industries in Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Designed by EJE Architecture, the four-story building will provide a maker space, research labs, studios, a co-working environment, seminar and conference rooms, flexible and informal learning spaces, and a café. Located in the AUD$500 millon Honeysuckle City Campus Development, the project will also house the region's Integrated Innovation Network Hub.

East Carolina University is constructing the $90 million Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building in Greenville, N.C. Designed by Lord Aeck Sargent, the 141,500-sf facility will provide wet bench and computational labs for programs in biotechnology, biophysics, biofuels, environmental engineering, imaging, and sensor development. Enabling students to engage in collaborative research with academic and industry partners, the four-story structure will include classrooms, lecture halls, administrative offices, core labs, and support spaces.

Lehigh University will break ground in April of 2021 on a 74,000-sf facility for the College of Business in Bethlehem, Pa. Featuring technology-rich classrooms for new programs in financial technologies, the three-story, four-floor structure will house the Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research, the Rauch Media and Communications Lab, a behavioral lab, a data analytics lab, and a business innovation and incubation center. The building will be sited adjacent to the existing Rauch Business Center, which will also be expanded and renovated.

The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is building the CAD$400 million Patient Support Centre in Toronto. Designed by B+H Architects, the 22-story, 525,616-sf project will provide education, training, and administrative facilities. Two additional sub-grade floors will house a simulation center with advanced virtual reality technologies for the SickKids Learning Institute.

Rice University opened the $38 million Kraft Hall for Social Sciences in February of 2020 in Houston. Designed by Rogers Partners, the four-story, 78,000-sf building provides five state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories, seminar and conference rooms, student lounges, administrative and faculty offices, and a multipurpose venue able to accommodate 300 people.

The Center for Sustainable Landscapes at Phipps Conservatory has attained BREEAM Outstanding certification. The 24,350-sf research, education, and administration facility is the first project in the United States to be awarded the rating, and is the first in the world to meet four other sustainability standards, including The Living Building Challenge, WELL Building Platinum, SITES Platinum, and LEED Platinum.

The University of Washington is planning to construct the $100 million Health Sciences Education Building in Seattle. Designed by Miller Hull Partnership and The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the four-story structure will provide nearly 100,000 sf of innovative teaching space for interprofessional education programs.

Georgia College broke ground in February of 2020 on the $22.1 million Integrated Science Complex in Milledgeville. Designed by Cooper Carry, the 43,000-sf facility will provide flexible research labs, faculty offices, teaching labs, imaging and microscopy suites, collaboration and study spaces, and a botany terrace. The labs will be interconnected by a linear equipment corridor accessible to all science faculty and students.

Beloit College dedicated the Powerhouse in February of 2020 in Beloit, Wis. Designed by Studio Gang, the $38 million project included the redevelopment of a decommissioned power plant to create a unique campus hub housing a recreation center, a student union, and an athletics facility. The 120,000-sf riverside complex offers a 160-seat auditorium, meeting and seminar rooms, informal gathering spaces, a swimming pool, a 10,000-sf fitness center, a 17,000-sf recreational gym, a 200-person event space, an elevated indoor track, and a café.

Construction began in February of 2020 on a 440,000-sf complex for Hewlett Packard Enterprise in Spring, Texas. Developed by a joint venture of Patrinely Group, USAA Real Estate, and CDC Houston, the collaborative campus will include two five-story structures with bridge connectors on each level. The facility will provide core research and development labs, a conference center, offices, a 2,055-space parking garage, a fitness hub, dining amenities, a pharmacy, and a large central courtyard with a multipurpose sports pavilion.

Radford University opened the Artis College of Science and Technology in February of 2020 in Radford, Va. Designed and engineered by CannonDesign, the $34 million project included a complete renovation of Reed Hall and Curie Hall, as well as construction of the connecting Center for the Sciences, a two-story collaboration hub offering meeting rooms, a commons area, study spaces, and offices.

Merck KGaA broke ground in early 2020 on the $275 Biotech Development Center in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland. Constructed adjacent to the company's existing commercial manufacturing campus, the 169,000-sf project will provide advanced research, development, and production facilities to support the creation of innovative biological compounds for clinical studies.

The University of British Columbia opened the renovated and expanded Life Science Teaching Laboratories in January of 2020 in Vancouver. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and HDR, the interdisciplinary complex provides active learning environments, classrooms, study spaces, faculty offices, and state-of-the-art teaching and research labs.

The use of software to aid in master planning is nothing new. At Payette, however, designers and engineers have collaborated to create new software tools to solve master planning issues as they emerge. “We have a range of really complex problems,” explains Jeffrey DeGregorio, a principal at Payette. “Because they’re part of these large-scale master plans, we need to represent them very clearly to be able to tell a story. I think Payette occupies this complicated little niche—complex organizations, complicated campuses.”

The University of Connecticut is planning to construct the $240 million Science 1 building in Storrs. Housing the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, the 198,000-sf facility will offer a 240-seat active learning room, specialized research labs, teaching labs, core labs, computational labs, a cleanroom, and faculty and administrative offices.