Higher Education

With the second-lowest population density of any state in the US and two cows for every human, Wyoming has long been a land of wide-open spaces, except for science students at the University of Wyoming. For decades, UW students have studied science in “dingy, dark, old basement labs,” says Daniel Dale, department head and professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Wyoming. But a new building has changed all of that—with active learning spaces, abundant natural light, and a new emphasis on collaboration—and increased student attendance and performance to boot.

The University of Saskatchewan will begin construction in fall of 2016 on the CAD$63 million Collaborative Science Research Building in Saskatoon. The facility will accommodate research on water security and plant science, enabling the development of advanced biofuels, water purification systems, drought-resistant crops, and sustainable pest-control mechanisms. Completion is expected in spring of 2018.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center celebrated the opening of the $35 million Center for Drug Discovery and Lozier Center for Pharmacy Sciences and Education in August of 2016 in Omaha. Designed by The Clark Enersen Partners and RDG, the three-story, 85,000-sf teaching and research facility provides advanced drug discovery labs, a sterile compounding suite, classrooms, faculty offices, auditoriums, simulation training suites, and a model pharmacy. Ground was broken on the project in June of 2013.

Lafayette College will break ground in spring of 2017 on the $75 million Integrated Science Center in Easton, Pa. Housing the departments of biology, computer science, and environmental studies, the five-story, 102,000-sf facility will feature an entrepreneurship incubator as well as accommodating programs in engineering and neuroscience. The design architect for the project is Payette. Upon completion in fall of 2019, the existing Kunkel Hall will be renovated to accommodate STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Williams College will begin construction by fall of 2016 on a $204 million renovation of the Unified Science Center in Williamstown, Mass. Featuring flexible laboratories for interdisciplinary teaching and research, the project includes construction of two new structures totaling 177,000 sf. The first 77,000-sf building will house research labs for biology, chemistry, and physics and is slated for completion in May of 2017.

SUNY Adirondack will begin construction in November of 2016 on a $17 million facility in Queensbury, N.Y., to support programs in nursing, science, technology, engineering, and math. Designed by JMZ Architects and Planners, the 26,500-sf NSTEM building will provide science labs, including suites for physics, geology, and microbiology, as well as classrooms, offices, computer rooms, collaboration areas, and a greenhouse.

Mercer University will break ground in fall of 2016 on the $44 million Spearman C. Godsey Science Center in Macon, Ga. The 142,000-sf undergraduate facility will provide 60 teaching and research labs, lecture halls, classrooms, and offices for the departments of biology and chemistry. Completion is expected in December of 2017.

Indiana University is building the Multi-Institutional Academic Health Science and Research Center in Evansville. Housing medical education programs for the University of Evansville, the University of Southern Indiana, and Indiana University, the four-story, 140,000-sf facility will provide a clinical research area, classrooms, a simulation center, a dental clinic, and an amphitheater. Construction began in June of 2016 and is slated for completion in February of 2018.

New York Medical College (NYMC), a large private health sciences university in the Hudson Valley, has gut-renovated a portion of the first floor of a former 1970s cancer research center to create a new clinical skills training center, and new biotechnology incubator space near the core campus.

The 23,200-gsf clinical skills training center is a state-of-the-art facility that provides a controlled environment for teaching, observation, and assessment of healthcare-related skills required for the training of medical and other health professions students. 

The Pennsylvania State University is planning a $44.5 million renovation and expansion of the Agricultural Engineering Building in University Park. Providing multidisciplinary laboratories and classrooms, the project will add 35,000 sf to the existing 64,533-sf (44,581-asf) structure. The building houses the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, a department jointly administered by the College of Agricultural Sciences and the College of Engineering.

Appalachian State University is building a $79 million facility for the Beaver College of Health Sciences in Boone, N.C. Designed by LS3P, the 203,000-sf project will consolidate teaching and research space currently dispersed in seven buildings across campus, and will accommodate programs such as nursing, nutrition, exercise science, social work, and health care management.

Angelo State University selected Hill International in July of 2016 to design a $26.4 million facility for the College of Health and Human Services. Located in San Angelo, Texas, the 52,000-sf building will provide technology-rich labs for interdisciplinary research as well as instructional spaces, faculty offices, teaching labs, study lounges, a 100-seat seminar room, and a centralized administrative suite. Angelo State University is a part of the Texas Tech University System.

The University of New Mexico broke ground July of 2016 on a $35 million facility in downtown Albuquerque that will act as a living laboratory for entrepreneurial education. Representing the first phase of the planned ABQ innovation district, the six-story, 160,000-sf Lobo Rainforest Building will provide collaboration spaces, meeting rooms, business incubators, and student accommodation. The Air Force Research Laboratory will also lease space in the building, which will offer access to advanced technologies and instrumentation suites.

Morgan Advanced Materials is planning to construct the Carbon Science Center of Excellence in University Park, Pa. Located in Penn State's Innovation Park, the 30,000-sf facility will support collaborative R&D with academic and industry partners in the field of carbon research, with a focus on materials and application engineering. Occupancy is expected in late 2017. Based in the United Kingdom, Morgan Advanced Materials is a global leader in the production of engineered carbon and ceramic materials.

The University of New South Wales is building the AUD$125 million Biological Sciences Building in Sydney, Australia. Located on the Kensington campus, the 234,000-sf facility will provide teaching and research laboratories for the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences and the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences. Designed by Woods Bagot to optimize flexibility and adaptability, the project will utilize mobile lab benching systems in collaborative research areas located adjacent to support zones with dedicated write-up spaces.