Higher Education

Global consumer products manufacturer Unilever will begin construction in September of 2014 on the $108 million Materials Innovation Factory in Liverpool. Created in partnership with the University of Liverpool, the 120,000-sf facility will accommodate 250 investigators engaged in materials chemistry research. Completion is expected in summer of 2016. Unilever is also opening the $11.4 million, 43,000-sf High Throughput Formulation Centre in the Liverpool Science Park.

Rice University opened the Anderson-Clarke Center for Continuing Studies in August of 2014 in Houston. Designed by Overland Partners of San Antonio, the three-story, 54,800-sf building provides 24 classrooms, offices, conference rooms, a language center, an auditorium, and a commons area. Housing the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, the $24 million project creates a new campus gateway and is expected to attain LEED Silver sustainable design certification.

The University of California, Berkeley broke ground on the $25 million Jacobs Hall in August of 2014. Housing the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation, the 24,000-sf engineering facility will provide flexible teaching and collaboration spaces, digital fabrication labs, six design studios, and exhibit areas. The project architect is Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects and the general contractor is Hathaway Dinwiddie. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2015.

Louisiana State University opened the $14 million Animal and Food Sciences Laboratories Building in August of 2014 in Baton Rouge. The two-story, 49,000-sf facility provides labs, offices, conference rooms, and a classroom. Accommodating LSU's food, animal and veterinary science programs, the AgCenter features a food incubator and core facilities for sample processing and other services. Construction began on the facility in January of 2012. The total project cost was over $20 million.

The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) completed construction of the Micro Nano Research Facility in August of 2014. Located on the University City campus in Melbourne, the collaborative 13,000-sf facility provides Class 100 and Class 1,000 cleanrooms, a PCL-2 biocontainment lab, a sensor technology lab, offices, training suites, and conference rooms. The multidisciplinary project was designed by SKM Jacobs and built by Brookfield Multiplex.

Boston College has renovated 6,500 sf of undergraduate teaching laboratories in the Merkert Chemistry Building to create state-of-the-art learning environments that support strong interactive relationships between instructors, teaching assistants, and students. The project includes three teaching laboratories for general and analytical chemistry. The dual goals were:

Kansas State University broke ground in July of 2014 on the Bulk Solids Innovation Center in Salina. Designed by Jones Gillam Renz Architects, the 130,000-sf facility will be the only research hub in North America for the study of bulk solids materials handling. The center is being built by Ron Fowles Construction and occupancy is expected in April of 2015.

Whittier College will begin construction in spring of 2015 on a $46 million renovation of the Stauffer Science Building in Whittier, Calif. Designed by Steinberg Architects of Los Angeles, the 88,000-sf structure will be renamed the Science and Learning Center and will provide a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs. The laboratory design consultant for the project is Research Facilities Design (RFD) of San Diego. Completion is expected in 2017.

With careful planning, institution-wide involvement, and innovative thinking, sustainability goals for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) facilities can be met by renovating and remodeling instead of more expensive new construction, without compromising the educational mission.

Georgia Gwinnett College opened the $30 million Allied Health and Science Building in August of 2014 in Lawrenceville. The three-story, 91,000-sf interdisciplinary facility provides laboratories for biology, chemistry, physics, and anatomy and physiology, as well as housing classrooms, faculty offices, and study areas. The second floor of the building accommodates the nursing program and includes a technology-rich classroom for team-based learning and a simulation training center with a 14-bed clinical practice lab.

Emerson Climate Technologies will begin construction in October of 2014 on a 40,000-sf facility located on the University of Dayton campus. The Innovation Center will support the development of advanced heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) technologies and will house up to 50 employees. The construction cost of the facility is approximately $20 million with a total project cost of between $35 million and $40 million.

Clark College will break ground in late summer of 2014 on a $41 million facility to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programs. Located in Vancouver, Wash., the 70,000-sf, three-story project will provide technology-rich classrooms, labs, offices, and study spaces for the departments of biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Mechanical systems to support the facility will be located on the basement level. Completion is expected by December of 2015 with occupancy in fall of 2016.

iThemba Labs opened the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory in July of 2014 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The facility is the first of its kind in Africa and will support biomedical, pharmaceutical, geological, and environmental research, as well as supporting advanced sample dating techniques for paleontology.

University of Kentucky officials are using a new digital construction information management tool to manage over 30 active projects totaling approximately $800 million. The Web-based eCommunication system designed by Lynn Imaging was adopted as the University enters a significant capital development phase, with projects including a major expansion and upgrading of the Student Center, a modernization to Commonwealth Stadium, a state-of-the-art science classroom and lab facility, and interior fit-out of the new University Patient Care Facility.

Lycoming College is constructing the Lynn Science Center in Willliamsport, Pa. The three-story, 26,000-sf facility will provide teaching and research labs, classrooms, faculty offices, student lounges, an atrium, and a planetarium. Housing the departments of astronomy, biology, chemistry, and physics, the project is designed to foster interaction and interdisciplinary collaboration. The facility will be built adjoining the existing Heim Biology and Chemistry Building to provide almost 90,000 sf of instructional space.