Collaboration

Golden West College broke ground in May of 2017 on the 120,561-sf Mathematics and Science Building in Huntington Beach, Calif. Designed by HMC Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the three-story facility will support a pedagogical model of exploratory learning with 18 wet and dry science labs, interactive classrooms, computer labs, faculty offices, collaboration areas, and a STEM center.

Utah State University is constructing the $28 million Center for Clinical Excellence in Logan. Designed by Jacoby Architects, the 105,000-sf facility will serve as a comprehensive human services center, integrating various clinics and services in an interdisciplinary environment. Comprised of two wings connected by transparent bridges, the four-story project will accommodate clinical training for students in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services.

Midwestern State University will begin construction in fall of 2017 on a $40 million facility for the Gunn College of Health Sciences and Human Services in Wichita Falls, Texas. Designed by Randall Scott and Associates, the four-story, 85,000-sf building will feature an 80-student round classroom, a learning stair, a collaborative student lounge, and a full-height atrium. The center will provide simulation training suites, classrooms, and teaching labs for programs including nursing, dental hygiene, radiologic sciences, respiratory care, and social work.

Franklin College broke ground in May of 2017 on a $17 million renovation and expansion of its science center in Franklin, Ind. Designed by BSA LifeStructures, the project will transform the existing 30,000-sf structure into a 51,000-sf building featuring flexible learning spaces that combine laboratory and lecture functions. Offering 16,000 sf of lab space, the completed center will provide nine collaborative learning spaces, 12 teaching labs, three research labs, multi-use classrooms, a teleconferencing suite, and student project areas.

Intense pressure to attract the smartest students and prepare them for tomorrow’s workforce is prompting engineering schools to provide a broad education with hands-on learning, an interdisciplinary curriculum, collaborative activities, and partnerships with local industries. The broader curriculum goes beyond the traditional engineering principles and practices by providing maker spaces to stimulate students’ creativity, critical-thinking ability, and problem-solving skills.

 The University of Florida opened the $67 million Joseph Hernandez Hall in Gainesville in April of 2017. Designed by Stantec to accommodate programs in chemistry and chemical biology, the five-story, 111,500-sf facility features a general chemistry lab capable of accommodating 256 students at one time, as well as graduate and faculty research labs, interactive undergraduate teaching labs, classrooms, offices, conference rooms, and core research facilities.

Boston University broke ground in May of 2015 on the $150 million Center for Integrated Life Sciences and Engineering (CILSE). Designed by Payette, the nine-story, 170,000-sf facility will support interdisciplinary research on synthetic biology, systems neuroscience, cognitive neuroimaging, and biological design. The project will exceed Boston University’s base energy efficiency code by 30 percent and will have building systems and utilities located on the second and third floors to ensure continuing operations in the event of a flood.

The Pirbright Institute is planning to build the £48 million High Containment Large Animal Facility in Pirbright in the United Kingdom. Designed by NBBJ, the project will provide advanced biocontainment labs and vivarium space to support collaborative research on infectious diseases including foot-and-mouth disease, avian influenza, and African swine fever. 

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota opened the $20 million Science and Learning Center in May of 2017 in Winona, Minn. Designed and built by Wight & Company of Chicago, the three-story, 50,000-sf teaching and research facility provides technology-rich labs and classrooms for interactive learning. Featuring a 120-seat tiered auditorium and a three-story atrium, the center includes a cell culture suite, an anatomy and physiology lab, and an organic chemistry lab with 10 glass fume hoods for optimal visibility.

The University of Rhode Island broke ground in April of 2017 on a $125 million engineering complex in Kingston. Designed by Ballinger to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation, the 190,000-sf facility will provide open and flexible teaching, learning, and research space for seven engineering programs. The project will feature three large active-learning classrooms, four teaching labs, four research labs, two computer labs, a robotics lab, a 24/7 student makerspace, capstone project areas, and two wings of offices.

Texas Tech University Health Science Center broke ground in May of 2017 on the $83 million Medical Sciences Building II in El Paso. Designed by Perkins+Will, the five-story, 219,000-sf facility will double the campus’ biomedical research capacity with advanced laboratories and offices for investigators and faculty members. The project will also house a 9,200-sf teaching auditorium capable of accommodating 500 students, classrooms, study spaces, a library, a dining area, and administrative offices.

Montclair State University’s Center for Environmental and Life Sciences (CELS) has attained LEED Gold sustainable design certification. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the 107,500-sf facility provides seven interdisciplinary research suites, six core labs, classrooms, offices, seminar rooms, a 100-seat lecture hall, and a microscopy suite.

The University of Nebraska at Kearney is planning to construct a $30 million facility to support applied STEM programs. Replacing the existing Otto Olsen Hall, the collaborative 80,000-sf facility will feature labs for engineering, computer sciences, physics, applied science, mechatronics, hydraulics and pneumatics, and virtual design and construction simulation. The project will also include technology-rich classrooms, a full-motion simulator, and an ITEC Testing Center. Occupancy is expected in October of 2019.

Union College broke ground in May of 2017 on a $100 million renovation and expansion of the Science and Engineering Center in Schenectady, N.Y. The project includes construction of a 24,000-sf addition and a complete renovation of the existing structure to create a 142,000-sf STEM complex accommodating programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Featuring a four-story light well, the interdisciplinary facility will provide collaborative teaching and research labs, classrooms, instrumentation suites, and faculty offices.

The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYCSF) opened its 40,000-sf Research Institute in Manhattan in April of 2017. Designed by Ennead Architects, the project accommodates NYCSF’s headquarters and includes a lecture hall, conference rooms, collaboration areas, and flexible laboratories.