Higher Education

The University of Calgary opened the CAD$174 million Canadian Natural Resources Limited Engineering Complex in November of 2016 in Alberta, Canada. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, the expansion project comprises a 197,000-sf addition and 119,000 sf of renovated space for the Schulich School of Engineering. The collaborative facility features a programmable dynamic view glass façade and provides two new floors of research laboratories for the study of renewable energy resources and the development of clean energy technologies.

Adelphi University celebrated the opening of the $76 million Nexus Building in December of 2016 in Garden City, N.Y. Designed by Ballinger, the collaborative 100,000-sf facility houses the College of Nursing and Public Health, the Center for Health Innovation, and a hub for core student services. The project also provides clinical simulation suites, research and informatics laboratories, and over 15 contemporary learning spaces.

The University of Melbourne is engaged in a 54,000-sf expansion of the Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute. Created in partnership with Australian biopharmaceutical firm CSL, the AUD$36.4 million project will house the CSL Global Hub for Research and Translational Medicine, which will feature advanced technologies for the creation of personalized medicine solutions. Completion is expected in mid-2017.

Texas Tech University is planning to build the $62 million Medical Science Building II in El Paso. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 227,000-sf facility will provide advanced research laboratories, classrooms, lecture halls, faculty and investigator offices, and support space. The general contractor for the project, which will include utility infrastructure and parking improvements, is Sundt Construction.

New York University is planning to begin construction in February of 2017 on a $1 billion learning hub in the Greenwich Village area of New York. Designed by KieranTimberlake and Davis Brody Bond, the 23-story, 735,000-sf project will provide 60 classrooms, three theaters, music and performing arts studios, faculty apartments, a 420-bed freshman dormitory, and an athletic facility with four basketball courts and a six-lane lap pool. Completion is expected in 2021.

The University of New Mexico is building the third phase of the Domenici Center for Health Science Education in Albuquerque. Designed by Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, the $27.3 million project will house the Interprofessional Healthcare Simulation Center and classrooms for active learning, problem-based learning, and general education. Illuminated by abundant natural light, the three-story, 63,000-nsf facility will support a variety of health science programs including nursing, pharmacy, and physical and occupational therapy.

The University of Houston opened the $51 million Multidisciplinary Research and Engineering Building in November of 2016. Designed by SHW Group, a subsidiary of Stantec, the four-story, 120,000-gsf project provides the Cullen College of Engineering with wet research labs, a visualization suite, an NMR spectrometry lab, offices, and conference rooms.

Angelo State University began construction in December of 2016 on the $26 million Archer Health and Human Services Building in San Angelo, Texas. Designed by PBK Architects, the three-story, 50,000-sf facility will provide flexible lecture rooms, teaching labs, classrooms, a simulation training center, and testing suites. Completion is expected in January of 2018.

Laurentian University is planning to build the CAD$30 million Clifford A. Fielding Research, Innovation and Engineering Building in Sudbury, Ontario. Housing the Bharti School of Engineering, the 47,000-sf project will include a technology-rich lecture hall, four capstone project labs, a prototyping and fabrication shop, a materials analysis lab, a hydraulics and fluid dynamics lab, and an environmental and soil mechanics lab.

UT Health Northeast will break ground in spring of 2017 on the $30 million School of Community and Rural Health in Tyler. Designed by the Dallas office of SmithGroupJJR to support programs in public health, the three-story, 85,000-sf academic medical center will provide classrooms, teaching labs, faculty offices, and administrative space. Completion is expected in fall of 2018. UT Health Northeast is part of the University of Texas System.

The University of Nottingham is constructing the £15 million New Teaching Building on its University Park campus in Nottingham in the United Kingdom. Designed by architectural firm Make, the 54,000-sf facility will provide a collaborative lecture hall, a variety of instructional rooms, a performing arts space, a social learning hub, and staff offices. The project team includes structural engineer AKT II, MEP engineer Max Fordham, project manager Gleeds, and cost consultant Aecom.

Georgia Tech is renovating the two-story Blake R. Van Leer Building to create the Van Leer Interdisciplinary Design Commons in Atlanta. Accommodating collaborative research and instructional programs for the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the completed three-story facility will house a 15,000-sf makerspace with advanced fabrication tools and electronic technologies. Gilbane Building Company broke ground on the $8.1 million project in November of 2016 and completion is expected in early 2018.

An increase in funding streams for interdisciplinary research coupled with major advances in computational research are driving bioengineering and integrated life sciences and engineering program growth. “Increasingly, universities are engaging in interdisciplinary research—that’s where the exciting problems are, and that’s what funding agencies are funding,” says Dr. Stephen Director, provost emeritus of Northeastern University in Boston. “We have found that our existing facilities don’t easily support that.”

UC San Diego Health opened the $943 million Jacobs Medical Center in November of 2016 in La Jolla. Designed by Cannon Design, the 10-story, 509,500-sf facility includes the Rady Pavilion for Women & Infants, the Foster Pavilion for Cancer Care, and the Vassiliadis Family Pavilion for Advanced Surgery.

The University of Missouri–St. Louis opened the $35 million Science Learning Building in November of 2016. Designed by Christner, the four-story, 75,000-sf facility features 18 technology-rich teaching labs, seven study areas, a café, and a solarium town center connecting to the adjacent science complex. General contractor K&S Associates broke ground on the sustainably designed project in October of 2013.