Higher Education

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock opened the $15 million Center for Integrative Nanotechnology Sciences in May of 2012. The five-story, 50,534-sf project provides research facilities for scientists and students to explore the interface between nanomaterials, plant biology, and mammalian biology, and houses advanced laboratories, offices, and a rooftop greenhouse. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the building.

The University of South Alabama is engaged in a $72 million expansion of the Children's and Women's Hospital in Mobile. Construction began in December of 2010 on a five-story, 195,000-sf pediatric wing that will include eight operating rooms, a 20-bed ICU, a neonatal ICU, and 68 inpatient rooms. The construction cost of the addition is $45 million. The balance will fund the creation of a new central energy plant and the purchase of medical equipment.

The University at Buffalo dedicated the $75 million Barbara and Jack Davis Hall in May of 2012. Housing the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the 130,000-sf facility provides flexible laboratories, classrooms, and seminar rooms for interdisciplinary research and education.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill dedicated the $87 million Koury Oral Health Sciences Building in April of 2012. Designed by Flad Architects, the five-story, 216,000-sf facility features technology-rich lecture halls, five 30-seat seminar rooms, flexible laboratories, and a 105-seat simulation and training center. The building was constructed by KBR. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which includes a system to capture and use condensate water from mechanical equipment.  

Middle Tennessee State University broke ground on its $147 million Science Building in Murfreesboro in May of 2012. Providing over 250,000 sf for STEM education (programs in science, technology, engineering, and math), the facility will include seven teaching labs, a 150-seat lecture hall, two-tiered discussion classrooms, and advanced instrumentation suites.

Binghamton University is planning to build the $70 million Smart Energy Research and Development Facility in Vestal, N.Y. The project will support the development of industry partnerships and will accommodate research programs in solar and thermoelectric energy harvesting, energy storage, energy efficiency in electronic systems, and sensor development for energy resource management. Construction is expected to begin in mid-2012 and reach completion by fall of 2017.

The University of Texas Medical Branch broke ground on the $438 million Jennie Sealy Hospital in Galveston in April of 2012. The world-class academic health center will provide 310 patient rooms, advanced operating suites, a 28-bed day surgery unit, and a 54-bed intensive care unit. Completion is expected in 2015 with occupancy in 2016. 

The University Medical Center of Southern Nevada (UMC) initiated an Energy Savings Performance Contract with Ameresco in April of 2012. Ameresco will install over $4.5 million of energy efficiency improvements at UMC which are expected to save over $200,000 annually while also addressing critical infrastructure needs. The project is slated for completion in early 2013.

Wayne State University is planning to create the $93 million Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research Facility in Detroit. Designed by Harley Ellis Devereaux, the project will include 127,700 gsf of renovated space and 75,000 gsf of new construction. The building will house programs in bioinformatics, computational biology, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, biomedical engineering, and systems biology. The facility will house up to 450 staff members engaged in team-based research led by 45 principal investigators.

Purdue University will begin construction in summer of 2012 on the $28.7 million Drug Discovery Facility in West Lafayette, Ind. Located in the Purdue Life and Health Sciences Park, the project will feature open labs for cancer cell biology, therapeutic and medical device development, cell-based screening, medicinal chemistry, and next-generation imaging. The construction cost of the project is $23.6 million. The facility will be attached to the existing Bindley Bioscience Center and is supported by $14.9 million in federal funding. 

Georgia Health Sciences University opened its $112 million College of Dental Medicine facility in April of 2012 in August, Ga. Designed by Lord, Aeck & Sargent in collaboration with Francis Cauffman as consulting dental architect, the five-story, 269,000-sf building provides clinical space, advanced surgical suites, a simulation and training center, administration, advanced imaging and instrumentation suites, and a wet lab. The construction manager for the project was KBR Building Group.

The University of Utah dedicated the $130 million James L. Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building in April of 2012. The multidisciplinary research facility was designed by Lord, Aeck & Sargent in association with Prescott Muir Architects and houses the Brain Institute, the Nano Institute of Utah, and the Department of Bioengineering.

Columbia University Medical Center is planning to break ground in late 2012 on a $68 million instructional facility near its main campus in New York. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Gensler, the project will feature advanced medical simulation and training suites. The facility will also provide classrooms, administrative offices, and a 270-seat auditorium.

The University of California, San Diego broke ground on the $664 million Jacobs Medical Center in April of 2012 in La Jolla. Designed to support interdisciplinary translational research, the 10-story, 509,500-sf facility will include three specialty hospitals for advanced surgery, cancer, and women and infants. The project includes renovation of the adjoining Thornton Hospital and construction of a 40,000-sf central plant. Complete occupancy of the facility is expected in 2016.

A 56,065-gsf expansion of the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) opened in April of 2012 in Boulder, Colo. The project provides JILA, a research partnership of the University of Colorado and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, with additional vibration-mitigated laboratory space. In addition to a wide range of studies in atomic, molecular, and optical physics, JILA also makes extremely precise measurements of ultrafast processes and at ultralow temperatures.