Higher Education

The University of Chicago is building the $215 million William Eckhardt Research Center for the Institute for Molecular Engineering. The 265,000-sf facility will house the 12,000-sf Pritzker Nanofabrication Facility and laboratories for astronomy, chemistry, physics, and astrophysics. Providing integrated research offices, conference rooms, interaction space, and an atrium, the seven-story project includes two floors below grade with low-vibration cleanrooms and molecular imaging suites. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

The University of North Dakota began site work in April of 2014 on a $124 million facility for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Grand Forks, N.D. The 320,000-gsf building was designed by JLG Architects working in collaboration with Perkins+Will and Steinberg Architects. Located on an 8.3-acre site, the footprint of the four-story medical school is 78,000 sf.

The kind of technology prevalent in today’s health sciences education requires a robust infrastructure that must be figured into a facility’s design during the budgeting and planning stages. Virtual simulation, virtual anatomy, tablet computers, 3-D stereographic display, software tools for collaboration, and touch interaction with LCD monitors—even the tried-and-true classroom technology, such as whiteboards, videoconferencing, telephone conferencing, dual-image large screen projection, large screen LCD monitors, and connectivity for personal devices—all require thoughtful consideration.

St. Jerome’s University broke ground in April of 2014 on a $47 million expansion in Waterloo, Ontario. The campus renewal project includes construction of a two-story, 22,464-sf academic facility and a seven-story, 360-bed student residence. Diamond Schmitt Architects, Graham Construction, and St. Jerome’s are pursuing an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) model to optimize efficiency through all phases of design, fabrication, and construction.

The University of Texas broke ground in April of 2014 on a $334 million campus for the Dell Medical School in Austin. The 515,000-sf project will provide teaching, research, and administrative facilities, as well as a medical office building and a parking garage. The general contractor for the campus is JE Dunn and completion is expected by fall of 2016. Project partners Seton Health and Central Health will build an adjacent teaching hospital, the $295 million, 211-bed Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas.

Dalton State College will dedicate the 58,000-sf Shelby and Willena Peeples Hall in May of 2014 in Dalton, Ga. The $15 million facility will house chemistry and biology labs, dedicated undergraduate research labs, and instructional space for the School of Science, Technology and Mathematics. The project team included architectural firm Lord Aeck Sargent, design consultant Gregg Sims, and general contractor New South Construction. Occupancy is expected in early fall of 2014.

Rochester Institute of Technology broke ground on the Clinical Health Sciences Center in April of 2014 in Henrietta, N.Y. Accommodating programs for the College of Health Sciences and Technology, the 45,000-sf facility will include dedicated space for the new Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition as well as housing a primary care clinic operated by Rochester General Health System. Constructed as an addition to the existing Louise M.

The four-story, 102,000-sf Integrated Science Engineering Laboratory Facility (ISELF), the flagship of the St. Cloud State University science facilities, contains mostly science laboratories, with some classrooms, offices, and conference rooms. The primary entry to the facility is through a three-story atrium that provides a clear sense of wayfinding to the programs in the building.

Kansas State University began building a $45 million facility for the College of Engineering in April of 2014 in Manhattan, Kan. The building is designed by Perkins+Will as the centerpiece and fourth phase of KSU’s engineering complex. Providing teaching and research labs, technology-rich classrooms, offices, and a 250-seat lecture hall, the project includes construction of a 108,600-gsf building and the renovation of the front entrance of Rathbone Hall.

Emory University will break ground in spring of 2014 on a $30 million science building for Oxford College. Designed by EYP Architecture & Engineering and built by Brasfield & Gorrie, the four-story, 57,500-sf facility will provide nine teaching labs for biology, chemistry, physics, and geology; three research labs; three classrooms; an imaging center; and a greenhouse. The building will feature faculty-student research suites on each floor and a central interaction atrium.

Black Hawk College broke ground on the $15 million Health Sciences Center in April of 2014. Located on the Quad-Cities campus in Moline, Ill., the three-story, 46,300-sf facility will provide eight labs, two classrooms, two conference rooms, a 64-seat lecture hall, and faculty offices. The center will accommodate programs in nursing, physical therapy, emergency medical services, surgical technology, veterinary assistance, and health information management. Completion is expected in June of 2015.

The three-story, 90,0000-sf Health Sciences Education building, which houses the School of Medicine at the University of South Carolina Greenville, establishes a new paradigm in health education. Funded entirely by Greenville Health System, the school is designed to fulfill its mission of collaborative learning and “patient-precise personalized care.”

Frostburg State University is building the $66 million Center for Communication and Information Technology in Frostburg, Md. Designed by Ayers Saint Gross of Washington, D.C., the three-story, 127,000-sf facility will provide instructional space for mathematics and computer science as well as housing the mass communications department. The building will also include a 5,500-sf conference room, audio and video studios, and a multimedia learning center with a planetarium, a telescope, and a 3D theater.

Morgan State University is building the $80 million Earl G. Graves Sr. School of Business and Management in Baltimore. The 140,000-sf facility will provide classrooms, a lecture hall, a trading floor, a teaching kitchen, and 10 simulation hotel rooms. The project will support programs in business administration, accounting, finance, marketing, human resources, hospitality management, and information science. Ground was broken on the facility in 2012 and completion is expected in summer of 2015.

The 101,800-gsf, $88.6 million Margaret Murie Building at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is the capstone project of a new life sciences district designed to accommodate a boom in graduate students and research grants in the life sciences. The research and teaching facility, featuring a flexible laboratory design and a new shared-space culture, replaces UAF’s legacy biology facilities with 60 percent overall space efficiency and more than 80 percent year-round utilization of teaching spaces.