The University of North Carolina will break ground on the $37 million PORTAL building in Charlotte in December of 2011. Housing the Charlotte Research Institute, the 95,000-sf project will house flexible research and development space, the Ben Craig Center business incubator, and a 10,000-sf information security facility. The construction manager for the project is Edifice of Charlotte. Occupancy is expected by early 2014.
Algonquin College opened the $79 million Centre for Construction Excellence in Ottawa in November of 2011. Designed by Diamond + Schmitt Architects in collaboration with Edward J. Cuhaci and Associates, the 190,000-sf facility provides classrooms, studios, laboratories, and shops. The project is designed to function as a teaching laboratory for sustainable construction and comprises a five-story tower and a two-story wing.
Yeshiva University's Einstein College of Medicine opened the Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory in New York in November of 2011. The mission of the Cognitive Neurophysiology Lab is to understand how the brain function of individuals with disorders such as autism, attention deficit disorder, and childhood schizophrenia differs from that of their peers. The facility includes a new 5,000-sf lab with specialized rooms that allow researchers to control sound and other stimuli.
The Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering (JSNN) opened in Greensboro, N.C., in November of 2011. The $64 million project was created collaboratively by North Carolina A&T State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The facility was built by a joint venture of Samet Corp., Barton Mallow, and SRS Inc.
The US Green Building Council awarded LEED certification to Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Hospital in November of 2011. Designed by Shepley Bulfinch and completed in 2010, Smilow’s sustainable features include optimum circulation of natural light in its lobbies, corridors and waiting areas; use of occupancy sensors in non-patient spaces; pumps with variable speed drives; and room pressure monitors to reduce power usage for enhanced air supply.
The University of Queensland began building the $30 million Global Change Institute in November of 2011. Located in St Lucia, the energy and environmental science research facility will be certified by the Living Building Challenge for sustainable design. The building will be carbon and water neutral and will feature a passive heating and cooling system, a pneumatic roof, and an atrium with a living wall and a waterfall.
The University of Glasgow is building the $14 million Beatson Translational Research Centre in Glasgow, Scotland. The four-story facility will provide laboratories for cancer research. Balfour Beatty Engineering Services is the mechanical and electrical services contractor. The building will feature a high efficiency chiller and air handling units with Econet heat recovery packages. The plant skids and modular risers will be manufactured offsite to support lean construction methodology. Completion is expected in summer of 2012.
The University of Newcastle opened two buildings on its Central Coast campus in Ourimbah, New South Wales, in November of 2011. The $4.8 million Education and Nursing building houses classrooms, a nursing simulation lab, information technology teaching spaces, and model education classrooms. The $7.7 Exercise and Sport Science building will house sports psychology research and teaching space, laboratories, three classrooms, and a gym.
Auburn University broke ground on the $28.8 million Center for Advanced Science, Innovation and Commerce in November of 2011. The 84,000-sf collaborative facility will provide 20 labs for the study of bioenergy, genomics, information science, food safety, water quality, and environmental health. The project is supported by $14.4 million in funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology with matching funds from the state of Alabama. Completion is expected in summer of 2013.
Binghamton University opened the $66 million Engineering and Science Building in November of 2011. Located in Vestal, N.Y., the two-story, 125,000-sf building houses the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The facility provides flexible teaching and research labs and business incubator space for the development of industry partnerships.
Aston University began construction in fall of 2011 on the £16.5 million European Bioenergy Research Institute in Birmingham in the United Kingdom. The facility will house research laboratories for the development of advanced energy technologies. The building will be powered by renewable energy from pilot scale photo bioreactors and a small scale industrial power plant which will generate heat and power from biomass.
The Wayne State University School of Medicine is planning to build a 62,840-sf facility in Detroit for its Department of Psychiatry. Consolidating three existing facilities, the five-story building will provide clinical, academic, and research space. Completion is expected in late 2012. The project developer is Queen Lillian LLC.
The University of Wales, Newport has attained BREAAM Excellent for the first phase of redevelopment of its city center campus. Designed by BDP Architects and built by Willmott Dixon, the £35 million building houses the University's Faculty of Arts and Business and includes a contemporary arts center, extensive exhibition space, and a national photographic archive.
Ohio State University will begin building the $126 million Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building in Columbus in summer of 2012. The 225,000-gsf facility will house research laboratories.
The University of Massachusetts will build the $186.5 million Commonwealth Honors College campus in Amherst. Slated for completion in 2013, the complex will include classrooms, administrative offices, a conference center, student housing, and apartments for faculty and staff. Site preparation began in June of 2011.
