Higher Education

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.

Auburn University will begin construction in summer of 2017 on the Poultry Infectious Disease Biocontainment Research Facility in Auburn, Ala. Designed to exceed state and federal compliance standards, the 5,000-sf facility will enable investigators from the College of Agriculture to perform research on live birds as well as infectious disease agents. Occupancy is expected in summer of 2018. Additionally, a $3 million administration building will be constructed at the Charles C. Miller Jr. Poultry Research and Education Center.

Vanderbilt University will break ground in late spring of 2017 on a $23.6 million expansion of the School of Nursing in Nashville. Designed by Hastings Architecture Associates, the five-story, 30,000-sf addition will provide classrooms, conference and seminar rooms, faculty and administrative offices, and a simulation training lab. The facility will also feature virtual classrooms to support distance learning programs and technology-enhanced instructional spaces to promote interaction and collaboration.

The $295 million Dell Seton Medical Center opened in May of 2017 in Austin, Texas. Designed by HKS and built by JE Dunn, the 517,000-sf teaching hospital accommodates training programs for the University of Texas Dell Medical School and features 13 technology-rich operating rooms and a telemedicine monitoring suite. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the 211-bed facility, which is owned and operated by Seton Healthcare Family, a subsidiary of Ascension Health.

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.

California State University, Sacramento broke ground in April of 2017 on the $91.5 million Science II building. Designed by CO Architects, the 94,500-sf facility will provide advanced laboratories for chemistry and biology, an observatory, and a planetarium. Completion is expected in June of 2019. The general contractor for the project is Sundt Construction.

The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory opened its new $53 million headquarters in College Station in April of 2017. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 93,000-sf facility features open-plan research areas, BSL-3 labs for the detection and study of infectious diseases, BSL-2 labs, a full-service necropsy suite, a conference room, and a secure sample drop-off area. Vaughn Construction broke ground on the project in late 2014.

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.

Oklahoma State University is building the $45 million Tandy Medical Academic Building at the OSU Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa. Designed by Dewberry, the 84,000-sf facility will provide advanced simulation training suites including an emergency room, an intensive care unit, a birthing suite, an operating room, and an ambulance bay.

Carnegie Mellon University is partnering with Tata Consultancy Services to create TCS Hall in Pittsburgh. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the 48,000-sf joint facility will provide research labs, academic and administrative offices, instructional space, an innovation courtyard, and a robotics area. TCS Hall will support collaborative research in artificial intelligence, automation, data analytics, cybersecurity, robotics, and autonomous vehicles.

The University of Delaware’s College of Health Sciences encourages businesses and the community to play an active role in the Health Sciences campus, with its focus on translational medicine and utilization of the next generation of classrooms. Kathleen Matt, dean of the College of Heath Sciences, describes these learning spaces as “not a classroom at all. It is interacting in unique ways, in all kinds of environments, that drives the learning process, it drives the outcomes, and it drives the changes.”

The four-story, 93,500- sf Harrell Medical Education Building at the University of Florida (UF) houses teaching and training facilities for the medical education and the physician assistant programs, bringing together a broad variety of program spaces to promote interaction between students and faculty. The design includes an academic tower acting as the iconic gateway feature of the Health Sciences Campus. The building culminates a 10-year commitment to create a new campus on the north side of the medical center.

McNeese State University is building the $41 million Health and Human Performance Complex in Lake Charles, La. Designed by Randy M. Goodloe and Crawford Architects, the 145,000-sf facility will provide six classrooms, 12 faculty offices, a teaching lab, and a sports training center. Ground was broken on the project in early 2017 with completion expected in June of 2018. The general contractor is Alfred Palma. 

Nebraska Wesleyan University broke ground in April of 2017 on the $27 million Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science in Lincoln. Housing the departments of biology, chemistry, and psychology, the three-story, 80,000-sf facility will provide collaborative classrooms, laboratories, study spaces, and a greenhouse. The project team includes The Clark Enersen Partners as architect of record with Celli-Flynn Brennan as design architect.