Higher Education

Whitworth University is constructing the $20 million PACCAR Engineering Building in Spokane, Wash. Integrus Architecture's vision for the two-story facility will provide approximately 21,000 sf of space arranged around three phases of the creative process. EXPLORE will include classrooms, seminar rooms, research labs, and administrative offices. DESIGN will incorporate a computational design lab and a prototyping suite, and MATERIALIZE will offer a metal fabrication shop and resources for working with other materials.

Texas Tech University opened the $112.5 million Academic Sciences Building in Lubbock in August of 2024. Enhancing the student experience with new venues for active learning and exchange, the 130,000-sf facility was designed by BGK Architects and EYP Architecture & Engineering (now a Page company). The three-story structure provides teaching and laboratory space for five departments: chemistry and biochemistry, physics and astronomy, biological sciences, geosciences, and psychological sciences.

The University of Utah opened the Impact and Prosperity Epicenter in August of 2024 in Salt Lake City. Collocating academic, entrepreneurial, and residential functions, the 284,800-sf facility serves as a living and learning community for the David Eccles School of Business. The six-story structure features The Forum, a vibrant gathering place where users from diverse programs can network and collaborate.

Roper Hall, the new medical education building at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, features a 240-person active learning theater, a dedicated medical student commons, 16 small seminar rooms, six medium-size classrooms, a medical simulation center, and a clinical skills suite for inter-professional training … and not a single lecture hall.

Northwestern University broke ground in June of 2024 on Ryan Field, an $800 million stadium and community destination in Evanston, Ill. Designed by HNTB with Perkins&Will as associate architect, the replacement facility will reduce seating capacity to 35,000, bringing fans much closer to the field for a more engaging and intimate experience. Wide concourses and terraces with unobstructed viewing areas and refreshment stands will provide plenty of room for gathering, complemented by numerous outdoor plazas and green spaces.

The University of New Hampshire completed the renovation and expansion of Spaulding Hall in Durham in late July of 2024. Ellenzweig designed the $89 million project to provide the Department of Biological Sciences with state-of-the-art research labs, core facilities, instructional settings, and collaborative learning venues. Slated to achieve LEED certification, the sustainable structure collocates programs in biochemistry, neuroscience, ecology, cell culture, medical laboratory science, and anatomy and physiology.

The University of Virginia is planning to begin construction in fall of 2024 on the $100 million Karsh Institute of Democracy in Charlottesville. Designed by Höweler + Yoon with Hanbury as architect of record, the 69,320-sf facility will offer an ecosystem of spaces for the exploration and enhancement of democratic culture, laws, and institutions. The four-story structure will include a welcoming lobby with a spiral staircase where all members of the university community can gather and interact.

GPI Companies opened a Class A facility in July of 2024 that will be occupied by the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Offering collaborative resources for numerous programs, the 112,000-sf building will serve as a vibrant destination for innovation, lifelong learning, and workforce training. Both the Division of Extended Studies and UC San Diego Health Sciences will occupy space in the five-level structure, which includes a café on the ground floor.

The University of North Texas at Dallas is constructing the $100 million STEM Building to provide current and future students with expanded learning opportunities in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Stantec is providing integrated design services for the 128,000-sf facility, which will offer up to 20 general purpose “high-flex” classrooms, nine teaching labs, three research labs, and numerous collaboration spaces. Adaptable wet labs will leverage modular infrastructure to accommodate a variety of biology and chemistry courses.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham broke ground on the Biomedical Research and Psychology Building in late June of 2024. Designed by Williams Blackstock Architects, the $190 million development will provide the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine and the Department of Psychology with wet and dry research environments and associated support spaces. The flexible and adaptable facility will incorporate activity-based layouts that enable users to access diverse work platforms that enhance creativity and productivity.

The number of makerspaces has increased 200% nationally in the last decade, with no sign of slowing down. This bodes well for the future of the labor force. But given the type of technology and materials used in these spaces, they also present a multitude of code, infrastructure, and safety challenges. Assess the risks posed by the various makerspace activities, and learn the regulations that apply to everything from welding and wood processing to painting and 3D printing. 

When the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), began to develop a new vision for its historic urban campus, they knew they wanted a high level of stakeholder engagement. The team that came together to work on the academic and research building called on elements of Lean construction, including Gemba walks and journey mapping, as part of design thinking, to empower users to co-create the spaces in which they will work. The new facility—a 310,000sf space in a dense urban environment—is scheduled for completion in 2028.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette broke ground in July of 2024 on a $55 million facility that will house the newly established Engineering Center of Excellence. Designed by Holly & Smith Architects and The Sellers Group, the Engineering Student-Centered Collaborative Building will offer 65,000 sf of learning and research space spread over three levels. A vibrant first floor with a 5,000-sf maker space will include an interactive stair that leads up to a second-level collaboration zone for group projects and club activities.

The University of California has selected Flad Architects as executive architect for the UCLA Research Park Master Plan Study, a roadmap for the transformation of the former Westside Pavilion shopping mall in Los Angeles into a nexus for discovery and innovation. Leasable lab and office environments will enable industry, academic, and government partners to benefit from collocation with two multidisciplinary research centers.

East Los Angeles Community College District is planning to construct the $145 million Kinesiology, Wellness, and Athletic Complex in Monterey Park, Calif. Designed by HED, the 110,000-sf structure will act as a prominent campus gateway where students can connect with their peers, the local community, and the therapeutic power of nature. The biophilic facility will showcase the college’s health science programs to those attending sporting events, while catalyzing the evolution of the west campus as a destination for personal and social wellbeing.