Academic Medical

Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University is planning to build the Collegium Medicum facility on its Wóycickiego campus in Warsaw, Poland. Designed by Pracownia Architektoniczna, the 42,000-sf structure will provide leading-edge teaching labs, classrooms, simulation suites, and training rooms for the school's new faculty of medicine. Offering three floors above ground and one below, the facility will feature advanced audiovisual technologies and extensive photovoltaic arrays.

E4H Architecture presented a webinar on modular facilities for accelerating vaccine development on May 8, 2020. Now available as an on-demand recording, the exciting session is led by Jeff Schantz, Director of Health Sciences and Technology at E4H. Jeff reviews planning strategies for adapting multi-therapeutic cGMP/BSL-3 cleanroom modules for SARS-CoV-2 response and cell therapy development. Presentation topics include regulatory guidelines, HVAC requirements, design and flow considerations, and decontamination strategies.

The Vaccines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VIMC) is being constructed on an accelerated schedule in Oxford in the United Kingdom. Ground was broken on the £66 million project in April of 2020 and occupancy is expected in 2021, a year earlier than previously planned.

Rhodes State College is planning to begin construction in mid-2020 on the $20.2 million Borra Center for Health Sciences in Lima, Ohio. Designed by Munger Munger + Associates Architects, the 50,000-sf building will accommodate allied health programs including nursing, emergency medical services, respiratory care, and occupational and physical therapy assistance. The structure will provide six additional classrooms and a leading-edge simulation center with high-fidelity training suites for experiential learning in obstetrics, surgery, and intensive care.

Augustana College is constructing the $18 million Peter J. Lindberg Center for Health and Human Performance in Rock Island, Ill. Accommodating programs in public health and kinesiology, the hybrid academic and fitness center will offer five state-of-the art classrooms, two active learning labs, faculty offices, locker rooms, student gathering and study spaces, and a wellbeing and meditation room. An aquatic center and natatorium will provide a 25-yard pool, a diving well, a therapy pool, and a swim performance lab.

Price Industries is significantly increasing production of its air filtration systems in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Instantly creating a negative-pressure isolation room, the company's fan filter unit can draw airborne virus out through a biosafety filter for expulsion through the building's exhaust vent or directly to the outside. The units can dramatically reduce airborne virus in healthcare environments such as nursing stations and temporary hospitals, and can even be used in hotel rooms that have been repurposed as care facilities.

Ohio University is constructing the $65 million Heritage Hall in Athens. Designed by Perkins+Will and DesignGroup, the three-story, 120,000-sf building will provide the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (HCOM) with flexible environments for team-based learning to support the school's groundbreaking Pathways to Health and Wellness curriculum.

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has assembled a task force to address the role of the built environment in reducing the impact of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory infections. Aiming to define the critical role that buildings, organizations, and communities play in infectious disease management, the work will take a broad approach in considering both new and recurring agents that can affect large populations.

Blinn College is planning to build the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Innovation Building on the RELLIS campus in Brenham, Texas. Designed by PBK Architects to accommodate programs in engineering, chemistry, physics, microbiology, geology, and health sciences, the 72,000-sf structure will offer 17,000 sf of laboratory space and a 3,000-sf innovation hub.

The Ohio State University and Central Ohio Technical College are constructing the $32 million John and Mary Alford Center for Science and Technology. Located on OSU's Newark campus, the 60,000-sf STEM building will allow both institutions to expand academic programming, increase enrollment, enhance student success, and better meet local workforce needs.

Federal financial measures have been approved in the past few weeks to shore up the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, with direct monetary assistance and business loans totaling $5.5 trillion, and more support and flexibility for research universities and government contractors. The federal stimulus package—the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act—is intended to pump $2.2 trillion dollars into the economy, primarily in the healthcare and research sectors, and to provide emergency relief to institutions, businesses, and workers whose livelihoods have been impacted by the pandemic. The specifics of how it will be implemented are still evolving, and it is likely that additional stimulus bills will be considered in the coming months, including investments in infrastructure for the nation’s research enterprise.

VACUUBRAND is offering continuing education courses approved by the American Institute of Architects and Green Business Certification Inc. Providing engineers and designers with the skills to create sustainable, high-performance laboratories, each course is available as a general webinar, a private webinar, or as an on-demand learning experience. AIA members will receive one LU/HSW (Health-Safety-Welfare learning unit) for each one-hour course.

ASHRAE, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, has created an epidemic task force to respond to the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and provide guidance on how to ensure that buildings are prepared for current and future epidemics. The ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force has been established to deploy ASHRAE’s technical resources to address the impact of HVAC systems on disease transmission in healthcare facilities, workplaces, homes, public spaces, and recreational environments.

New York University is renovating two adjacent historic structures on its Greenwich Village campus to create a new home for the School of Global Public Health. Designed by Kliment Halsband Architects, the collaborative 147,000-sf facility will accommodate laboratories for multiple research groups. Flexible open workstations and glass-walled offices will provide optimal access to natural light and views.

Reedley College is constructing the $20 million Math, Science & Engineering Building in Fresno, Calif. Designed by Darden Architects, the 21,000-sf STEM facility will provide chemistry and biochemistry labs, a math tutoring center, 20 faculty offices, and a large learning venue for group instruction. The school’s nursing and dentistry programs will be housed in the building, which will feature advanced technical training areas and clinical simulation suites. Occupancy is expected in late 2021.