Higher Education

Philadelphia University will break ground in June of 2011 on a $20 million academic facility on its East Falls Campus in Philadelphia. The 38,500-sf building was designed by Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott to house the College of Design, Engineering and Commerce. Featuring collaborative design studios, research space, classrooms, workshops, a computer design lab, and a prototype fabrication shop, the facility will be built with removable walls for maximum flexibility. Completion is expected by fall of 2013.

Purdue University is planning to construct the 147,000-sf Seng-Liang Wang Hall in West Lafayette, Ind. Housing laboratories and classrooms for the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the four-story mixed-use development will include academic, research, and retail space. Completion is expected in spring of 2013.

The University of Louisville is constructing the first building in the ShelbyHurst Research Park. The $20 million, 125,000-sf facility was designed by KlingStubbins and is being built by NTS Development Co. Ground was broken on the four-story building in December of 2010 and completion is expected in January of 2012. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

The University of Chicago opened the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library in May of 2011. The facility features an underground storage area with robotic retrieval for 3.5 million volumes. The Mansueto Libray was designed by Helmut Jahn and includes an 8,000-sf reading room under a dome constructed from 700 panels of glass. Construction on the facility began in fall of 2008.

Narayana Hospitals opened the Mazumdar-Shaw Centre for Advanced Therapeutics (MS-CAT) in May of 2011. Located at Narayana Health City in Bangalore, the 100,000-sf cancer research center provides biomodulator production labs, a marrow/stem cell transplant suite, and facilities for immunotherapy, gene therapy, and in-vitro fertilization. The Mazumdar-Shaw Centre will support collaborative research and development with the University of California at Irvine, Cornell University, Strand Genomics, and GANIT labs.

Louisiana State University is partnering with video game developer Electronic Arts to build the 94,000-sf Digital Media Facility in Baton Rouge. The $30 million project will house the school's Center for Computation and Technology, a classroom, an auditorium, conference rooms, and one floor occupied by Electronic Arts. Completion is expected by fall of 2012. 

The University of Central Lancashire completed construction of its $20 million forensic science facility in Preston, U.K., in May of 2011. The 43,056-sf James Brierly Firth Building houses the School of Forensic and Investigative Sciences and the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. The facility houses four labs, two chemistry classrooms, an analytical lab, and a fire lab. The project has attained a BREEAM Excellent sustainable design rating. The general contractor for the project was Morgan Sindall.

Georgia Southern University began construction in June of 2011 on the $37 million Biology Building in Statesboro. The 155,000-gsf facility will feature a 125-seat lecture hall and two Technology Enhanced Active Learning rooms providing combined lecture and laboratory space. The Biology Building will also provide 10 teaching labs, 15 research labs, and faculty offices  LEED Silver sustainable design will be sought for the project. Occupancy is expected in summer of 2013.

Tarleton State University opened the $11.2 million Southwest Regional Dairy Center in May of 2011. The teaching and research facility is located in Stephenville, Texas, and houses 300 cows. The center will promote collaborative industry partnerships for the development of sustainable dairy practices. A planned second phase will include a bottling facility and a creamery.

The University of Leicester is planning to build the $50 million Medical Teaching Building on land purchased from Regent College in Leicester. The facility will provide advanced instructional space for the College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology. The sustainably designed project will feature natural light and ventilation, external solar shades, photovoltaic solar panels, a combined heat and power (CHP) system, and a free-cooling labyrinth for air conditioning.

The University of California, Davis broke ground on the $58.5 million Veterinary Medicine Research Facility 3B on April 29, 2011. The four-story, 76,000-sf facility will support interdisciplinary research on human, animal, and environmental health issues. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project. Completion is expected in December of 2012.

The University of Pennsylvania opened the $370 million Anne and Jerome Fisher Translational Research Center in May of 2011 in Philadelphia. The 531,000-sf biomedical research facility is designed for maximum integration with the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Roberts Proton Therapy Center. The Translational Research Center houses the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism; the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics; and the Penn Cardiovascular Institute.

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center will begin construction in mid-2011 on a $45 million cardiovascular research building in Memphis. The project cost includes $35 million for construction and $10 million for laboratory and office equipment. Occupancy is expected in late 2013. The 140,000-sf facility will be connected by a walkway to an existing cancer research building. The entire complex will be called the Translational Science Research Building and will support interdisciplinary biomedical research and collaboration.

The University of Minnesota opened the $175 million Amplatz Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis in April of 2011. The 227,000-sf facility provides 96 private patient rooms, an intensive care unit, and a pediatric emergency department. The hospital was designed by Tsoi/Kobus & Associates and features abundant natural light to create an optimal healing environment. 

South Carolina State University opened the $17.5 million Leroy Davis Sr. Science and Research Complex in April of 2011. The 57,000-sf facility includes advanced laboratories and classrooms, two auditoriums, an office tower, research space, and five conference rooms. The three-story complex houses the Department of Biological and Physical Sciences.