Higher Education

The State University of New York at Binghamton is constructing the $60 million School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in New York. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the 105,000-sf building will provide sophisticated teaching and research labs, lecture halls, faculty offices, a library, and student activity space. Accommodating 240 students and approximately 36 faculty members, the four-story facility will feature interactive classrooms that can accommodate lectures as well as team-based learning activities.

Murray State University is building the $37 million Engineering Physics Building in Murray, Ky. Designed by Hastings+Chivetta with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 72,500-sf undergraduate science facility will provide teaching and research labs for engineering, biology, chemistry, astronomy, electronics, and materials science.

The University of Windsor broke ground in January of 2017 on the $23 million Science Research and Innovation Centre in Ontario, Canada. The collaborative 46,000-sf facility will feature sophisticated laboratories for research and development in advanced materials, biomedical science, and automotive technologies. The project is being constructed by Amico Design Build with Colliers as project manager. Completion is expected in April of 2018. 

The University of Texas at Austin is building the $314 million Engineering Education and Research Center. Designed by Ennead Architects, the 433,000-sf facility will provide the Cockrell School of Engineering with multidisciplinary research labs, teaching labs, classrooms, meeting rooms, collaboration space, a central atrium, and a 299-seat auditorium. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which will feature the National Instruments Student Project Center, the Texas Instruments Laboratories, and the Innovation Center.

Ursinus College is constructing the 42,500-sf Innovation and Discovery Center in Collegeville, Pa. Designed by Ellenzweig, the collaborative, multidisciplinary facility will accommodate programs in science, policy, and entrepreneurship. The three-story structure will feature multifunctional teaching and research labs, a makerspace, interaction areas, and two TEAL classrooms. Connecting two existing buildings, the project will house the Parlee Center for Science and the Common Good and the U-Imagine Center for Integrative and Entrepreneurial Studies.

The State of Georgia will break ground in spring of 2017 on the $100 million Hull McKnight Georgia Cyber Center for Innovation and Training in Augusta. Located next to Augusta University’s planned Riverfront Campus, the 332,000-sf facility will enable researchers from academia, industry, government, and the military to collaboratively develop innovative cybersecurity technologies.

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) began construction in January of 2017 on a $10 million expansion of the Education and Research Centre at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin. The three-story, 30,000-sf addition will provide multifunctional tutorial rooms, an atrium, research labs, conference rooms, and open-plan faculty offices. The general contractor for the project is The Stewart Group and completion is expected in mid-2018. 

Tusculum College opened the $30 million Meen Center for Science and Mathematics in January of 2017 in Greenville, Tenn. Designed by John Fisher + Associates, the four-story, 100,000-sf facility provides teaching and research labs, classrooms, and lecture halls for programs in biology, chemistry, computer science, nursing, mathematics, and environmental science. Rentenbach Constructors began work on the project in May of 2015.

The Medical College of Wisconsin is constructing a $90 million administrative building in Wauwatosa. Designed by Flad Architects to enhance collaboration and interaction, the eight-story, 318,000-sf facility will house 1,500 occupants, including clinicians, researchers, faculty members, and administrative staff. Construction manager CG Schmidt broke ground on the project in March of 2016 and completion of the first phase is expected in fall of 2017. Subsequent phases will open in late 2017 and early 2018.

The University of Birmingham began construction in January of 2017 on the £40 million Collaborative Teaching Laboratory in the United Kingdom. Designed by Sheppard Robson, the two-story, 72,120-sf facility will accommodate STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The interdisciplinary building will provide wet labs, dry labs, and an e-lab in a technology-rich environment supporting team-based education. The general contractor is Morgan Sindall and completion is expected in of 2019.

Rolls-Royce will open a 33,000-sf research facility in March of 2017 in West Lafayette, Ind. Supporting collaboration with faculty and students from Purdue University, the center is located in a 55,000-sf building in the Purdue Research Park Aerospace District. The facility will accommodate the design, development, and testing of jet engine components, as well as research into alternative fuels. Construction was completed in December of 2016. 

The University of Arizona is building the $165 million Health Sciences Innovation Building in Tucson. Designed by CO Architects, the ten-story, 226,000-sf facility will feature simulation training suites for programs in medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and public health. A minimum of LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the fast-track project, which will also provide clinical laboratories and a variety of group learning areas.

Bucks County Community College opened its $17 million Science Center in January of 2017 in Newtown Township, Pa. Designed by KCBA Architects to support STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the 43,000-sf facility provides four student collaboration spaces and ten laboratories, including a biotechnology suite with adjoining rooms for instrumentation and tissue culture. The two-story center utilizes glass walls to enhance visibility and features a geothermal heating and cooling system.

Mount Wachusett Community College opened the $41 million Daniel M. Asquino Science Center in December of 2016 in Gardner, Mass. Supporting STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the project included construction of a 44,000-gsf addition providing classrooms, faculty offices, study spaces, and teaching labs for biology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, earth science, and anatomy and physiology. The existing Arthur F. Haley Academic Center was also renovated and an adjacent 2,300-sf greenhouse was built.

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• Future Proofing Vivarium Space Through Flexible Design
• University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s New Space Allocation System
• “Super Lab” Improves Student Learning, Challenges Faculty Adaptability
• Maker Spaces: The Bridge Between Higher Education and Industry
• UPenn Replaces the HVAC System of a Fully Occupied, Operational Chemistry Facility