Higher Education

The University of Massachusetts broke ground on the 69,000-sf Health and Social Sciences Building in Lowell in April of 2011. Housing the departments of psychology, nursing, and criminal justice, the facility will provide classrooms, labs, faculty offices, conference rooms, simulation suites for healthcare training, and social science research space. The sustainably designed project will feature natural lighting and ventilation and efficient building systems.

The University of North Carolina-Asheville dedicated the $41 million Wilma M. Sherrill Center in April of 2011. The 135,500-sf facility houses the N.C. Center for Health & Wellness, classrooms, labs, fitness rooms, a teaching kitchen, a cafe, and the Kimmel Arena. The sustainably designed facility features natural lighting, an underground rainwater cistern, and occupancy sensors for lighting.

University of North Carolina Health Care broke ground on a satellite hospital campus in Hillsborough in April of 2011. The $200 million project will be constructed by Skanska USA Building in two phases. The first phase, a three-story, 60,000-sf physician office building, is slated for occupancy in spring of 2013. The second phase, a 260,000-sf, 68-bed hospital, will open in July of 2015. The hospital will include an emergency department, an intensive care unit, six operating rooms, and two procedure rooms.

North Carolina State University will dedicate the $72 million Randall B. Terry, Jr. Companion Animal Veterinary Medical Center in Raleigh in May of 2011. Doubling the size of the Small Animal Veterinary Teaching Hospital, the 110,000-sf addition will house exam rooms, surgery suites, teaching space, and a pharmacy. The facility will support veterinary training and animal care with advanced imaging technologies, a linear accelerator, and copper-shielded rooms for neurological and opthalmological diagnostics.

New York Medical College is constructing a biotechnology and medical training center in Valhalla, New York. The first phase of construction will cost $12.55 million and includes renovation of an existing 120,000-sf facility to house a clinical skills training laboratory. The building will also include the Hudson Valley Biotechnology Center for Disaster Medicine and Emerging Infections, a facility with simulation mannequins and live actors for disaster response training. Completion is expected in December of 2012.

The University of New Mexico dedicated the Science & Mathematics Learning Center in March of 2011 in Albuquerque, N.M. The $14 million, 62,000-sf facility was built by McCarthy Building Companies and houses technology-rich classrooms and teaching labs for biology, chemistry, and mathematics. Designed by Van H. Gilbert Architect PC of Albuquerque in association with Shepley Bulfinch, the center includes distance learning facilities, a visualization lab, and a 200-seat auditorium.

The University of California, San Diego initiated construction in April of 2011 on the Health Sciences Biomedical Research Facility in La Jolla, Calif. The 196,000-sf, five-story building is located on a 3.3-acre site on the School of Medicine campus. The $105 million project was designed by ZGF Architects and is being built by McCarthy.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute broke ground in April of 2011 on a four-story building for the Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center (BETC). Located in Gateway Park in Worcester, Mass., the $30 million center will provide labs, classrooms, and offices for biopharmaceutical education and training. Designed to support industry partnerships, BETC will include a working pilot-scale biomanufacturing plant. The 92,000-sf project is supported by funding from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison began building a second tower at the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research in April of 2011. The $134.8 million, nine-story facility will support research in cardiovascular diseases, cell and regenerative biology, molecular medicine, neurodegenerative diseases, eye research, and cancer. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2013. Construction on a third tower at the site could begin in 2014.

SUNY Upstate Medical University broke ground on a $72 million expansion of the Institute for Human Performance in April of 2011. Located in Syracuse, N.Y., the 158,273-sf project will support research on behavioral disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and visual system disorders. The facility will be constructed adjacent to the existing Institute for Human Performance and is slated for completion in 2013.

The University of California, San Diego is building a 50,000-sf addition to the Rady School of Management. The five-story project comprises two buildings connecting to the existing facility. The expansion will house two auditoriums, instructional space, research labs, offices, and executive education classrooms. The project team includes architect Ellerbe Becket and construction manager Swinerton Builders. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

Rochester Institute of Technology broke ground on the $35 million Golisano Institute for Sustainability in April of 2011 in Rochester, N.Y. The 75,000-sf project is support by a $13.1 million NIST construction grant and $10 million in funding from the state of New York. The multidisciplinary facility will provide labs, classrooms, and conference rooms for research and development of sustainable business practices.

The University of Texas at El Paso is building a $60 million facility for the College of Health Sciences and School of Nursing. The four-story, 130,000-sf building will feature 16,000 sf of clinical simulation laboratories, a 4,500-sf biomedical research facility, classrooms, and seminar rooms. Construction began on the project in November of 2008. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2011.

The University of Maine is engaged in a $22.4 million expansion of the AEWC Advanced Structures and Composites Center in Orono. The 35,000-sf facility includes a 2,500-sf nanocomposites laboratory, offices, classrooms, and the Offshore Wind Laboratory. The wind lab features a reaction wall and floor for structural testing of wind turbine blades as well as an environmental simulation area and a wave-wind basin. A robotic composite manufacturing suite will produce turbine blades on site.

The University of Rochester Medical Center opened the $76.4 million Saunders Research Building in April of 2011 in Rochester, N.Y. The 200,000-sf interdisciplinary facility houses labs, offices, classrooms, and the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Ground was broken on the project in October of 2008. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.