Higher Education

The State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University opened the final phase of its Biotech Accelerator in September of 2016. Located in Syracuse, N.Y., the 60,000-sf facility was designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative and constructed by Murnane Building Contractors. Providing wet labs, dry labs, and core research space with shared equipment, the project houses the Medical Innovation and Novel Discovery (MIND) Center and the Molecular Pathology Next Generation Sequencing Lab.

The University of Texas at Arlington broke ground in October of 2016 on the $125 million Science and Engineering Innovation and Research Building. Designed by Page and ZGF Architects to support team-based learning and discovery, the six-story, 220,000-sf facility will provide two floors of instructional space, with research activities occupying four floors and a basement level.

Arizona State University broke ground in October of 2016 on the $120 million Biodesign Institute Building C in Tempe. Designed by ZGF (Zimmer Gunsul Frasca) and BWS Architects to promote interaction, the 188,000-gsf project will accommodate up to 80 principal investigators arranged in collaborative neighborhoods over five floors and a basement level. The multidisciplinary research building will house a compact X-ray laser facility, wet labs, high bay spaces, and offices.

Oklahoma State University broke ground in October of 2016 on the $35 million Undergraduate Engineering and Technology Laboratory Building in Stillwater. Supporting a progressive pedagogy for interactive education, the 70,000-sf facility will provide 14 undergraduate research labs, a lecture hall, and flexible student project space. Chemical, biomedical, and environmental science labs will feature configurable pilot plants for hands-on instruction in manufacturing and bioprocessing.

Cleveland State University broke ground in October of 2016 on a $60 million expansion of the Washkewicz College of Engineering. Constructed by Gilbane Building Company as an addition to Fenn Hall, the four-story, 100,000-sf building will feature a makerspace with 3D printing equipment and computer-aided design stations as well as traditional manufacturing tools.

The University of Kentucky dedicated the $112 million Jacobs Science Building in October of 2016. Designed by Payette and JRA Architects, the flexible 240,000-sf facility features technology-enabled active learning (TEAL) classrooms, collaborative teaching labs, advanced instrumentation suites, lecture halls, and outdoor classrooms. The sustainably designed project was built by Messer Construction. 

Because it’s expensive to heat and cool outdoor air drawn into a building, workspaces tend to be ventilated only enough to meet ASHRAE minimums or achieve a LEED credit. But air quality profoundly affects workers’ cognitive performance, and even modest increases in ventilation can yield productivity and health benefits that far exceed the cost, says Joseph Allen, assistant professor and director of the Healthy Buildings Program at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Central Washington University opened the $64 million Science II facility in October of 2016 in Ellensburg, Wash. Housing the departments of geological sciences and physics as well as programs in math and astronomy, the five-story, 120,000-sf building features an 80-seat lecture hall and planetarium, an observatory tower, optics and laser labs, an ice core lab, a scanning electron microscopy suite, and an acoustic lab with an anechoic chamber.

It can be hard to know whether a building initiative is meeting the mark by looking at anecdotal feedback about what worked and what didn’t. Pre- and post-occupancy data make it possible to evaluate the success of a design strategy. Studies indicate that the new Center for the Sciences & Innovation (CSI) at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, is attracting more students from all departments to the building, boosting integration between science and non-science majors, and increasing interest in STEM studies among incoming students at a rate of 50 percent.

Solano Community College is constructing a $34.5 million science and biotechnology training building. Located adjacent to Genentech’s campus in Vacaville, Calif., the 32,200-sf facility will feature simulated production suites for immersive education to support a four-year degree program in biotech manufacturing. The project was designed by SmithGroupJJR and is being built by Rudolph & Sletten.

The University of Notre Dame opened the $80 million McCourtney Hall of Molecular Sciences and Engineering in October of 2016 in South Bend, Ind. The four-story, 220,000-sf research building houses the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Providing 100,000 sf of laboratory space, the interdisciplinary facility comprises two wings connected by a collaborative core of faculty offices and conference rooms.

Lake Forest College is engaged in a $43 million renovation and expansion of the renamed Lillard Science Center in Lake Forest, Ill. The project includes the construction a large addition as well as the development of two entirely new wings. Designed by Stantec to support progressive pedagogies for interdisciplinary teaching and research, the completed 130,000-sf facility will provide collaborative classrooms and laboratories for programs in biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, neuroscience, and environmental studies.

Clark College opened its $40 million STEM building in October of 2016 in Vancouver, Wash. Designed by LSW Architects to support programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the three-story, 70,000-sf project provides classrooms, teaching labs, and offices for the departments of biology, chemistry, geology, physics, and engineering.

Whittier College opened the Science and Learning Center in September of 2016 in Whittier, Calif. Designed by Steinberg Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the $52 million project included a complete renovation of the 89,000-sf Stauffer Science Building to create a collaborative, interdisciplinary facility for STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The College of William & Mary opened the third phase of the Integrated Science Center (ISC3) in September of 2016 in Williamsburg, Va. Accommodating programs in applied science, biology, chemistry, psychology, neuroscience, and computer modeling, the $74 million interdisciplinary facility features 13 chemistry research labs, four teaching labs, instrumentation suites, a computational lab, a biological sciences makerspace, a spectroscopy lab, and a complete machine shop.