Higher Education

Responding to the call to reinvent university science instruction, Virginia Tech’s new classroom building is poised to create “a bona fide learning revolution.” Slated for completion in 2016, the 73,400-sf facility will offer flexible, innovative teaching spaces that are “radically different” from anything previously seen on the Blacksburg campus, according to Jill Sible, assistant provost for undergraduate education at the largest producer of STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) degrees in the state.

A gut renovation of the Kline Chemistry Laboratory has created a highly energy-efficient facility, with open work spaces and more than 60 high-performance fume hoods, the highest density of any building on campus. Renovation of the three-story building entailed replacement of all building systems and finishes, new core additions and exterior glazing, as well as life safety upgrades.

Mount Wachusett Community College dedicated the $41 million Asquino Science Center in November of 2016 in Gardner, Mass. The project included construction of a 44,000-gsf addition providing classrooms, teaching labs, prep rooms, faculty offices, and study spaces to support programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and a 2,300-sf greenhouse.

South Louisiana Community College will begin construction in summer of 2015 on a $17.1 million health and science facility in Lafayette. The three-story, 63,000-sf building will accommodate programs in nursing and allied health as well as providing space for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) classes. The project will also house administrative offices, a 250-seat auditorium, a virtual hospital, computer labs, conference rooms, and wet and dry science teaching labs. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2016.

A gut renovation of the 1984 organic chemistry lab in the Physical Sciences Building at Bowling Green State University created state-of-the-art teaching environments with $250,000 worth of new instrumentation, casework, stainless steel ductwork, and computer-controlled supply systems. The installation of 12 lab hoods and one ADA-compliant hood, with high-efficiency exhaust and airflow systems, offer students more hands-on, project-based learning opportunities in a safer environment.

Purdue University is initiating three construction projects for the College of Engineering in West Lafayette, Ind. Work will begin in 2016 on an $8.2 million expansion of the Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories to create a 9,600-sf research suite featuring five new test cells supporting laser-based measurement. Other projects include the $54 million, 75,000-sf Flex Lab, a multidisciplinary, team-based research facility, and the Innovation Design Center, a 24-hour student project building featuring CAD labs and collaboration areas.

Saint Anthony College of Nursing is moving to a new facility on the campus of Rock Valley College in Rockford, Ill. The four-story, 117,000-sf Health Science Center will provide 13 classrooms and 10 labs. Rock Valley College will occupy approximately 80,000 sf in the $32 million building and the top two floors will be leased by Saint Anthony. Construction began in June of 2015 and occupancy is expected in January of 2017.

The University of Nebraska broke ground in late April of 2015 on a $45.5 million veterinary diagnostic laboratory in Lincoln. Located on the Nebraska Innovation Campus, the 65,000-sf facility will provide labs for diagnostic testing, animal science, and medical research. The project architect is RDG Planning and Design of Omaha. Completion is expected in 2017.

Johns Hopkins University will lease 115,000 sf in a new laboratory building under construction in Baltimore. The $59 million, 170,000-sf facility is being built by Forest City Enterprises in partnership with East Baltimore Development Inc. and will feature advanced LED lighting systems installed by GB Energie LED and Revolution Lighting Technologies. Construction began on the project in November of 2014 and completion is expected in July of 2016.

IU Health, Indiana University, and IU Bloomington Hospital are partnering to create a new regional academic health center. Located adjacent to the IU Technology Park, the project includes construction of a replacement facility for IU Health Bloomington Hospital and an instructional building for the Indiana University School of Medicine. The regional academic health complex will promote collaboration between faculty, researchers, clinicians, medical staff, and students. Design work will begin in late spring of 2015.

The 55,000-sf James Center for Molecular and Life Sciences at Eckerd College houses biology, chemistry, and biochemistry departments under one roof for the first time, with biology and chemistry offices interspersed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration. The building contains nine 24-student teaching labs, two classrooms, four faculty-student research spaces, and 14 faculty offices.

Clark College is building a $41 million academic facility to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs in Vancouver, Wash. Designed by LSW Architects, the three-story, 70,000-sf project will provide 26 instructional spaces as well as labs, offices, and study areas for the departments of biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. The building will feature a 44-ft drop tower for student experiments, a three-story lobby, a machine shop, a cadaver lab, and an outdoor classroom.

The University of Washington is building the $123.5 million Animal Research and Care Facility in Seattle. Housing the Department of Comparative Medicine, the 83,000-sf subterranean structure will accommodate rodents, pigs, dogs, and non-human primates. Comprising two floors of approximately 40,000 sf each, the facility will provide labs, procedure rooms, imaging suites, cage and equipment wash, storage, and support. Construction began in early 2015 and occupancy is expected in August of 2017.

Ramapo College is building the Adler Center for Nursing Excellence in Mahwah, N.J. Designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects, the 36,000-sf facility will feature three simulation rooms, a nursing skills lab, an anatomy and physiology lab, classrooms, and computer labs. The project is part of a $54 million renovation of Ramapo College's science center and is being built by Cambridge Construction Management to attain LEED Silver sustainable design certification.

Ohio State University celebrated the opening of the $126 million Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building (CBEC) in Columbus in April of 2015. The two-building, 235,000-sf project includes a four-story teaching and research building physically connected to a six-story office and research building. The LEED-certified complex features wet research labs with ancillary support, computational research suites, shared core labs, instructional spaces, and offices for faculty, graduate students, and administration.