Higher Education

Carthage College opened the renovated and expanded Center for the Natural and Social Sciences in September of 2015 in Kenosha, Wis. Designed by Stantec, the $43 million project included construction of a 35,000-sf wing and renovation of the existing 70,000-sf facility. The interdisciplinary center features TEAL (Technology Enhanced Active Learning) classrooms and 12 teaching labs for programs in materials science, nanotechnology, engineering design, molecular biology, and atomic microscopy.

Seminole State College is planning to construct a $48 million health science building in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Designed by HuntonBrady Architects and HKS Architects, the seven-story, 200,000-sf facility will include commercial and retail space on the ground floor. The project team includes developer U.S. HealthRealty and construction manager Skanska USA. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2017.

The University of Idaho is building the $49 million Integrated Research and Innovation Center (IRIC) on its Moscow campus. Designed by NBBJ, the 69,000-sf interdisciplinary research facility will provide flexible laboratory, office, and meeting space that can be adapted for use by faculty, staff, and student researchers from across the university. The building will feature a state-of-the-art visualization laboratory, core research space, and video conferencing suites.

Sacred Heart University broke ground in September of 2015 on the $45 million Center of Healthcare Education in Bridgeport, Conn.

The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) is partnering with the University of Connecticut to create the $7.7 million Single Cell Genomics Center in Farmington. The facility will be located in JAX’s Genomic Medicine facility on the UConn Health campus. JAX is also planning to develop the Center for Precision Genetics at the site, supported by a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Western Kentucky University will begin construction in December of 2015 on a new science building on its Bowling Green campus. Housing the College of Science and Engineering, the four-story, 77,000-sf Ogden Hall will provide classrooms, teaching labs, faculty offices, and student lounges. The project is being designed by Ross Tarrant Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant. A contractor will be selected in fall of 2015 with occupancy expected in fall of 2017.

Sam Houston State University has completed the first of a two-phase fit-out of the Woodlands Center to create an Allied Health Nursing Lab for the College of Health Sciences. The 5,680-sf Phase 1 project includes a nursing skills lab/classroom, a shared support and storage room, high fidelity simulation lab, and office suite. Each lab has active headwalls that aid in creation of the mock environment. The simulation lab contains four patient rooms, a home health area, and a control room.

The College of St. Scholastica broke ground on the 45,000-sf Health Science Pavilion in August of 2015 in Duluth, Minn. Located on a three-acre site in the BlueStone business park, the $17.1 million project will provide labs and classrooms for occupational therapy, physical therapy, and physician assistant programs. The pavilion was designed by HGA of Minneapolis and will feature an interdisciplinary health clinic to support experiential learning. The general contractor is McGough Construction of St. Paul.

Grand Valley State University dedicated the $55 million P. Douglas Kindschi Hall of Science in August of 2015 in Allendale, Mich. The four-story, 152,000-sf facility provides 15 teaching labs, 14 research labs, nine classrooms, conference rooms, study areas, a computational lab, and a 3,000-sf greenhouse. Research Facilities Design was the laboratory design consultant for the facility, which features interactive labs supporting a shared functionality in which faculty and students can engage in collaborative projects.

Olympic College will begin construction in October of 2015 on a $50.1 million academic building in Bremerton, Wash. Designed by Schacht Aslani Architects, the three-story, 70,000-sf building will feature an active learning classroom, a 276-seat theater, a two-story atrium, and instructional space for health science, music, and fine art. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility, which will utilize LED lighting, a 100-kilowatt photovoltaic array, and 90 percent heat recovery.

A new master space plan for the University of Texas at Austin’s College of Natural Sciences leverages program adjacencies and shared infrastructure to improve collaborative interdisciplinary research while maximizing space use. This “soft growth” renovation approach allows the college to increase capacity and improve efficiency without demolishing or adding new buildings.

Chesapeake College opened the $37 million Health Professions and Athletics Center in August of 2015 in Wye Mills, Md. Designed by Marshall Craft Associates of Baltimore, the 100,000-sf facility features technology-rich simulators for the school's health science programs to accommodate courses in phlebotomy, emergency medical care, surgical technology, radioactive science, and nursing and dental assistance. The ground floor houses an athletics center with classrooms, an exercise studio, a gym, and a multipurpose room.

George Mason University is building a $73 million health sciences facility in Fairfax, Va. Housing the College of Health and Human Services, the 160,000-sf building will include clinical space, teaching labs, and a kitchen for programs in nutritional science. The facility will support a team-based model of healthcare with professionals from different disciplines collaborating in patient diagnosis and treatment. Ground was broken on the project in summer of 2015 with completion expected in 2017.

Belmont College opened its $10 million Health Sciences Center in August of 2015 in St. Clairsville, Ohio. The 27,648-sf project will provide collaborative, technology-rich instructional spaces including a SMART 360 classroom, simulation training suites, and labs for biology, anatomy, and chemistry. Accommodating programs in Allied Health, the facility will house three general-purpose classrooms, faculty offices, and a student commons.

Texas A&M University opened an 11,000-sf avian health complex for the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences in August of 2015. Located in College Station, the climate-controlled aviary facility provides a BSL-2 biocontainment lab, a bird hospital, quarantine suites, three isolation rooms, classrooms, and offices.