Higher Education

Iowa State University's transgenic swine facility at Zumwalt Station Farm in Ames received an Award of Distinction from the Modular Building Institute in May of 2015. The 2,904-sf project was designed, manufactured, and installed by Art's Way Scientific. Supporting research on the genetic modification of domestic animals for agricultural and biomedical applications, the standalone facility incorporates biosafety features to protect a closed herd of swine.

The University of Toronto, Mississauga, re-imagined its first-year biology teaching labs to update the space and encourage a more experiential learning environment that will hook students on biology and engage the entire building in what goes on there. They also need to accommodate classes of as many as 48 students, which their former space could not.

St. Norbert College opened the renovated and expanded Gehl-Mulva Science Center in May of 2015 in De Pere, Wis. Supporting programs in physics, math, psychology, geology, biology, and chemistry, the completed 160,000-sf facility provides 45 teaching and research labs, 10 classrooms, a large lecture hall, 15 study lounges, and 38 faculty offices. The $40 million project included a multi-level expansion of the existing structure with construction of additions at the east and west ends.

Increasing class sizes, curricular changes, and medical education mandates continue to influence the design of health science and medical education spaces, which means they must address the need for shared areas, systems-based learning and flexibility/adaptability, according to Scott Kelsey, managing principal, and Jonathan Kanda, principal, with CO Architects.

Purdue University is planning to build the $60 million Agricultural and Life Sciences Facility complex in West Lafayette, Ind. The 123,000-gsf project will provide consolidated teaching and research space for the Department of Animal Sciences. Construction will begin in February of 2016 with occupancy expected in July of 2017. Purdue will also construct the $8.8 million Centaur Regional Equine Diagnostic and Surgical Center in Shelbyville which will house academic space for the College of Veterinary Medicine as well as providing health services to horses.

North Central College broke ground in May of 2015 on a $60 million science center in Naperville, Ill. Housing the departments of biochemistry, biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, neuroscience, physics, and psychology, the four-story, 125,000-sf interdisciplinary building will support progressive pedagogies for STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and math).

The University of Vermont broke ground on a $104 million STEM education complex in Burlington in May of 2015. Designed by Ellenzweig and Freeman French Freeman, the two-building, 266,000-sf facility will support programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The phased project will include construction of the Discovery Building, providing teaching and research labs, followed by the Innovation Building, which will house classrooms and meeting rooms. Lastly, the existing engineering facility will undergo a complete renovation.

The National University of Singapore opened a 7,000-sf biosafety laboratory for the study of infectious diseases in May of 2015. The BSL-3 facility is located at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine's Centre for Translational Medicine and will support the development of new diagnostics, vaccines, and therapies.

Three buildings in a 14.8-acre former business park—an office building, a garage, and an entrepreneurial center—were renovated to create a new Central Ohio campus of the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The University of Virginia Medical Center is building a 46,000-sf education, imaging, and conference facility on its Charlottesville campus. Designed by CO Architects of Los Angeles in association with Train & Partners Architects, the $25 million Education Resource Center will physically connect the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center with the existing parking garage. The four-story facility will house simulation laboratories for medical training, diagnostic imaging suites, multipurpose learning spaces, and offices.

Humber College opened its Learning Resource Commons in Toronto in May of 2015. The six-story, 264,000-sf facility provides a new main entrance and gateway to the North Campus and connects to several existing buildings. The $84.2 million center provides a library, a gallery, study areas, student services, and administrative offices for the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The project was designed by B+H Architects and built by PCL Constructors Canada. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

CHI Health is partnering with Creighton University to build a $35 million academic medical center in Omaha. Ground was broken on the 80,000-sf complex in May of 2015 and completion is expected in late 2016. The project will include a freestanding emergency department as well as outpatient diagnosis and treatment facilities including space for cardiology, women's services, and psychiatry. The center is sited adjacent to Creighton University and will house the Family Medicine Residency Program.

Northwestern University broke ground on the Louis A. Simpson and Kimberly K. Querrey Biomedical Research Center in Chicago in May of 2015. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 14-story, 600,000-sf facility will support collaborative research on cancer, heart disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and genetics for the Feinberg School of Medicine. The Biomedical Research Center will house nine laboratory floors of approximately 45,000 sf each with integrated offices for principal investigators.

The University of Texas at Tyler broke ground on the $26.5 million W.T. Brookshire Hall in late April of 2014. The three-story, 60,000-sf facility will house the Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy. Designed to encourage student-faculty interaction and support innovative pedagogies, the project will provide flexible classrooms, research labs, skills training suites, offices, and study areas. Completion is expected in May of 2015.

The University of Delaware celebrated the opening of the newly renovated Lasher Laboratory in April of 2015. The BSL-2 facility is located in the Elbert N. and Ann V. Carvel Research and Education Center in Georgetown and supports research on the detection and diagnosis of avian diseases including avian influenza. Supported by $4 million in state funding, the project was completed in December of 2014 and included new MEP, fire, and life safety systems as well as significant improvements to the building envelope.