Higher Education

Swinburne University of Technology opened the $140 million Advanced Technologies Centre (ATC) in March of 2010 in Melbourne. Located on the Hawthorn campus, the 10-story building comprises two towers and has a footprint of 21,528 sf. Designed by H2o of Melbourne, the facility features maximum transparency to display technological innovations to the public. The ATC houses classrooms, engineering labs, a 500-seat lecture hall, and the Smart Structures Laboratory, where construction materials are tested with the application of extreme loads.

The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology’s Paleontology Building in Rapid City has attained LEED Gold sustainable design certification. The $6 million facility houses laboratories, offices, 300,000 fossils, specimen receiving and preparation areas, collection storage, archives, and a library.  The building was constructed using concrete with 25 percent fly ash. Office counters and shelves are made from recycled paper. A large atrium features wall panels covered in a product made from compressed sunflower husks.

McMaster University is planning to begin construction in June of 2011 on an automotive research facility in Hamilton, Ontario. An existing warehouse will be renovated to provide 80,000 sf of laboratory, office, and business incubator space. The project will be located in the McMaster Innovation Park adjacent to the Canada Centre for Mineral and Energy Technology (CANMET) Materials Technology Laboratory. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2012. The facility will support research and development of hybrid vehicles and advanced automotive technologies.

University College Dublin opened the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training in March of 2011. The 70,000-sf facility was created in partnership with Trinity College, Dublin City University, and Sligo Institute of Technology. The center includes research space, a pilot plant, and a complete bioprocessing manufacturing operation for training programs.

Alberta Infrastructure has selected Dialog to design a $520 million regional health center in Grand Prairie, Alberta. The facility will include 200 inpatient beds and a cancer center. The project will also house a healthcare training facility developed in partnership with Grand Prairie Regional College. Construction is expected to begin in mid-2011.

Harvey Mudd College will begin construction in summer of 2011 on a $43 million teaching and learning building in Claremont, Calif. Designed by Boora Architects of Portland, Ore., the building will house classrooms, offices, lecture halls, a café, and a 300-person auditorium. Designed to promote interaction between students and faculty, the building will include 70,000 sf of flexible space to accommodate innovative pedagogies. LEED Platinum sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

Lane Community College broke ground on a new downtown campus in Eugene, Ore., in March of 2011. A $33.1 million, 90,000-sf academic building will provide 30 classrooms with advanced energy management technologies. An adjacent $20.3 million, 87,000-sf student apartment building will also be built. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2012. 

Dudley College initiated construction on the $48.5 million Evolve building in March of 2011 in Dudley, United Kingdom. The four-story, 88,200-sf facility will include a performance auditorium, a sports hall, a gym, and dance studios. Dudley College is also planning to begin building the Construction and Engineering Technologies Centre in 2015.

Texas State University completed the design of the $43 million Performing Arts Center in February of 2011. Located in San Marcos, the facility will provide a 400-seat theater, a 300-seat recital hall, rehearsal spaces, staging areas, and classrooms. The project was designed by Morris Architects and the general contractor is Hunt Construction.

Oakland University is planning to build the $74.6 million School of Engineering and Computer Science in Rochester, Mich. The 127,000-sf facility will feature advanced classrooms and research labs. Additionally, Oakland University will open the new $65 million Human Health Building in fall of 2012.

The University of Pittsburgh will renovate existing space in Langley and Crawford Halls to establish a biocontainment laboratory suite for the biological sciences department. The $6 million project will provide BSL-2 and BSL-3 facilities. Completion is expected by late 2011.

The University of Scranton is building an $83 million interdisciplinary science center. The 150,000-sf facility will house the departments of physics, math, computer science, chemistry, and biology. Designed to promote interaction and collaboration, the five-story facility will provide classrooms, faculty offices, research labs, a 180-seat lecture hall, five aquatic areas for fish, a three-story atrium, a greenhouse, and a café. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2011.

Royal Roads University will complete the $20 million Learning and Innovation Building in March of 2011. Located on Vancouver Island in Victoria, B.C., the facility houses classrooms, offices, a social science lab, a 100-seat videoconferencing lecture hall, and the Centre for Dialogue. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

Claremont McKenna College will open the Kravis Center in July of 2011. Located in Claremont, Calif., the five-story, 162,000-sf facility will house classrooms, seminar rooms, faculty and administrative offices, and a lecture hall. The Kravis Center will also house IT servers and a chilled loop system providing cooling for the entire west end of campus. The project was designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects and built by Bernards Construction. LEED Gold certification will be sought for the facility.

La Trobe University has awarded Watpac Construction a $66 million contract to build the Institute of Molecular Science in Melbourne. The $93 million facility will provide teaching and research facilities for biotechnology, nanotechnology, and molecular science. The six-story, 118,400-sf project will include teaching labs, research labs, academic offices, and a lecture hall. Construction began on the facility in February of 2011 with completion expected in late 2012.