Academic Medical

“Convergence” is the term increasingly used to describe the intermingling of disciplines in next-gen academic research facilities. Embodied by today’s moonshot-type initiatives targeting big picture-level discovery, convergence has been dubbed “the next scientific revolution.” It is characterized by collaboration among experts in multiple fields of endeavor tackling the major scientific problems of our time. From a facility perspective, convergence goes beyond the organizational progression that has seen traditional departmental siloes challenged by the move to multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary or clustered research. It brings together many diverse specialties, from biomedicine to engineering to business to law, in a single place.

The University of Southern Mississippi dedicated the $31 million Asbury Hall in March of 2017 in Hattiesburg, Miss. Designed to promote interactive learning, the 86,000-sf facility will provide the College of Nursing with classrooms, an expanded clinical simulation lab, computer labs, and offices. Construction began in late 2014 on the project, which will enable the college to increase enrollment from 550 students to over 800.

The University of Arizona opened the $136 million Biosciences Partnership Building in February of 2017. Located on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, the 10-story, 245,000-sf facility houses the Center for Applied NanoBioscience and Medicine, the Institute of Molecular Medicine, the Pediatric Infectious Disease Research Lab, the Research and Translational Flow Cytometry and Immunology Core Lab, and an advanced cancer research lab.

The University of Adelaide opened the AUD$246 million Health and Medical Science Building in February of 2017 in South Australia. Designed to promote interprofessional education, the 14-story teaching and research facility features 24 advanced simulation training suites, four floors of laboratories, three lecture halls, and a dental hospital. Accommodating 600 researchers and 1,600 students, the building provides a centralized home for the Adelaide Nursing School, the Adelaide Medical School, the Adelaide Dental School, and the School of Public Health.

Froedtert Hospital will begin construction in spring of 2017 on a 165,000-sf expansion of the Center for Advanced Care. Four inpatient floors will be added to the existing eight-story structure. The estimated construction cost of the expansion is $43 million. Located on the campus of Milwaukee Regional Medical Center, Froedtert Hospital is an academic medical center affiliated with Medical College of Wisconsin.

The Dell Medical School Health and Learning Building is the first step in UT Austin’s ambitious plan to build the first new medical school at a Research I institution in 50 years. The 75,000-sf facility, which comprises phase one of the plan, will serve as the face of the new institution.

The Sheikha Salwa Sabah Al Ahmad Stem Cell and Umbilical Cord Center is being constructed in the Sabah Medical District in Kuwait. Designed by SSH, the $26 million facility will provide research and testing laboratories, an outpatient center for adult stem cell collection, a cryolab, and storage banks for stem and cord blood cells. The three-story, 84,000-sf project will also include medical libraries, a lecture hall, and a utility building. Completion is expected in September of 2017.

Sanford Health completed construction in February of 2017 on the $500 million Fargo Medical Center in North Dakota.

Biola University is building the $63 million Alton and Lydia Lim Center for Science, Technology and Health in La Mirada, Calif. The 91,200-sf facility will provide 30 laboratories, three classrooms, faculty offices, research space, and a rooftop observatory. Housing the School of Science, Technology and Health, the center will accommodate a wide range of academic programs with an emphasis on computer science. Ground was broken on the project in February of 2016 and completion is expected in spring of 2018. 

Columbia Basin College is building the $16 million Wortman Medical Science Center in Richland, Wash. Providing simulation labs, classrooms, computer labs, and open training areas, the four-story, 72,600-sf facility will also include leased space for Kadlec Regional Medical Center’s family medicine residency program. Ground was broken on the project in April of 2016 and completion is expected by fall of 2017. 

The University of California, San Francisco will begin construction in 2019 on a $200 million academic and research facility at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (ZSFG). Supporting the University’s existing research programs at the hospital, the five-story, 175,000-sf project will consolidate and replace labs and offices that do not meet new seismic regulations. Accommodating 800 faculty, trainees, and staff, the development will also enable ZSFG to maintain its status as the city’s only Level 1 Trauma Center.

The University of South Florida is planning to build a $153 million facility to house the Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in Tampa. Designed by HOK, the 320,000-sf project will provide laboratories, learning spaces, conference rooms, faculty offices, an auditorium, and a clinical trials unit. The construction manager is Skanska USA Building and completion is expected in late 2019.

CarolinaEast Medical Center and UNC Health Care broke ground in January of 2017 on the SECU Comprehensive Cancer Center in New Bern, N.C. Supported by charitable contributions from the State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation, the $35 million facility will enable CarolinaEast to provide consolidated cancer services in a single location. The 80,000-sf project is located next to the John and Reba Aylward Diagnostic Center and is slated for completion in late spring of 2018.

The Nexus Building is home to Adelphi University’s College of Nursing and Public Health and the Center for Health Innovation, and serves as a hub for core student services. It is also a welcoming space for prospective families who visit Adelphi’s admissions office, and alumni who access the advancement office. 

Mohawk Valley Health System will begin construction in mid-2018 on a $480 million integrated medical campus in Utica, N.Y. Featuring collocated acute care, clinical care, and outpatient services, the 750,000-sf facility will provide 400 private inpatient rooms when it opens in mid-2021. The project was designed by NBBJ and is being built by Turner Construction.