Auburn University broke ground in September of 2016 on the Gavin Engineering Research Laboratory in Auburn, Ala. The new home for the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering will be developed through the complete renovation and expansion of an existing textile building to create an advanced teaching and research complex.
Weber State University opened the $60 million Tracy Hall Science Center in August of 2016 in Ogden, Utah. Designed by VCBO Architects of Salt Lake City, the four-story, 175,000-sf facility offers advanced labs and classrooms as well as housing all eight departments of the College of Science.
The University of Rhode Island opened the $68 million Richard E. Beaupre Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences in September of 2016. The four-story, 134,623-sf building provides 14 teaching labs, 18 faculty research labs, a 240-seat lecture hall, classrooms, offices, and the Teknor Apex Instrumentation Lab. The facility also houses the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Center of Excellence for Explosives Detection, Mitigation and Response.
James Cook University is planning to build the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM) on the Cairns campus in Smithfield, Queensland. Designed by Jackson Architecture and Fisher & Buttrose Architects, the AUD$24.5 million facility will include a Physical Containment Level 2 (PC2) laboratory to accommodate research on virology, viral diseases, and vector control. The project will be constructed by Hutchinson Builders and completion is expected in late 2017.
Johnson & Wales University opened the $42 million John J. Bowen Center for Science and Innovation in September of 2016 in Providence, R.I. Featuring an innovation lab and a technology and design hub, the three-story, 71,000-sf facility provides classrooms, faculty offices, collaboration spaces, and teaching and research labs for biology, physics, chemistry, organic chemistry, and microbiology. Ground was broken in April of 2015 on the project, which was designed by Edward Rowse Architects and Architectural Resources Cambridge.
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.
