Higher Education

The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (UWM) broke ground in July of 2012 on a $53 million expansion of the Great Lakes Research Facility. Providing classrooms and aquaculture laboratories for the School of Freshwater Sciences, the facility will also house the Center for Water Policy and the Great Lakes Genomics Center. Construction will begin on the facility in August of 2012. UWM will also lease space in an existing facility that is being renovated to create a water technology business accelerator; completion is expected in spring of 2013.

Nanjing University has selected HDR to provide conceptual and schematic design services, as well as a master plan, for the new College of Engineering and Applied Sciences building. Located in Nanjing, China, the 650,000-sf facility will house four academic departments (material science and engineering; quantum electronics and optical engineering; biomedical engineering; and energy science and engineering), six interdisciplinary research centers, and a state-of-the-art conference center.

West Virginia University broke ground on a $22 million animal research facility in Morgantown in July of 2012. Located adjacent to the existing Health Sciences Center, the 22,000-sf building will provide biosafety laboratories and a rodent vivarium. The project is supported by $14.5 million in federal stimulus funding.

The University of California, Berkeley will begin occupying the new Energy Biosciences Building in August of 2012. Formerly known as the Helios Energy Research Facility, the five-story, 112,800-sf project provides collaborative research space for the study of lignocellulosic biofuels. The facility houses wet laboratories for molecular and microbial biology, fermentation, and chemical separation, as well as greenhouses, warm and cold rooms, shared instrumentation space, offices, workrooms, and conference space.

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology completed the $200 million Swanston Academic Building in July of 2012. The 370,000-sf facility provides 12 large lecture halls, 87 classrooms, 10 flexible learning spaces, a 180-seat cinema, and a dramatic central atrium. Designed by Lyons Architects, the building houses the College of Business as well as well as providing a new campus center for social interaction.

The University of Rochester will begin construction in summer of 2012 on the Ronald Rettner Hall for Media Arts and Innovation. Designed by Goody Clancy, the three-story, 18,900-sf building will house an engineering fabrication lab, sound and video recording studios, a multipurpose learning suite, group study areas, and exhibit space. The $12.8 million project will include renovations to the existing Morey Hall.

Auckland University of Technology is building a $100 million academic facility in New Zealand. The 12-story building will support instruction in art and design, engineering, computing, mathematics, communication studies, and creative technologies. The 215,000-sf facility will provide two large, flexible lecture halls, television and performance studios, a broadcasting suite, and informal study areas. The project was designed by Jasmax. Occupancy is expected in February of 2013. 

Colorado State University has broken ground for its new Equine Reproduction Laboratory in Fort Collins. The 12,000-sf facility will provide teaching space, microbiology and molecular labs, and exam rooms. The $5 million project will support research in equine diseases and advanced reproductive technologies such as embryo transfer. 

The University of Dundee began building the $20 million Centre for Translational and Interdisciplinary Research in Scotland in July of 2012. Part of the College of Life Sciences, the four-story facility will house collaborative drug discovery research with labs, offices, support, and a high-throughput robotic and molecular pharmacology suite. Disciplines represented in the facility will include mathematical biology and biophysics, bioinformatics, and data analysis.

The University of Iowa is engaged in a $62 million renovation of the College of Dentistry in Iowa City. The project will provide a 33,000-sf patient care addition, collaborative research labs, advanced classrooms, and a simulation training center. 

Valdosta State University opened a 15,000-sf addition to the Bailey Science Center in late June of 2012. Designed by Stanley Beaman and Sears, the project provides two 75-seat multipurpose laboratories, two 30-seat classrooms, and 22 faculty offices. The addition will support the departments of biology, chemistry, and geosciences. 

The University of Auckland is initiating a $200 million redevelopment project to create its new Science Centre. Providing advanced teaching and research space, the project includes construction of an 11-story, 253,000-sf building and renovation of an adjacent tower. The cross-disciplinary facility is being designed by Archibus and will provide a new entranceway to the University. Construction will begin in 2013 with completion expected in 2017.

Columbia University is planning to build a 14-story medical school tower in New York. The facility is being designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro with Gensler as the architect of record. Construction is expected to begin in early 2013 and reach completion in late 2017. Featuring sculpturally exposed interiors, the facility will support collaborative, team-based learning. 

Upstate University Hospital is building the $75 million Upstate Cancer Center in Syracuse, N.Y. The five-story, 90,000-sf facility will provide adult and pediatric cancer care with private infusion rooms, a rooftop garden, a patient education facility, and a family resource center. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project. The general contractor is LeChase Construction. Completion is expected in fall of 2013.

Dartmouth College is planning to build the Williamson Translational Research Building on the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center campus in Lebanon, N.H. The facility will provide laboratories for multidisciplinary research in neuroscience, cancer, immunology, and infectious diseases. Dartmouth will also build the 120,000-sf North Campus Academic Center in Hanover.