Higher Education

Brown University opened the $40 million Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts in February of 2011 in Providence, R.I. The three-story, 38,815-sf facility was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and features a 218-seat auditorium, four production studios, a recording studio, and a multimedia lab. The Cogut Physical Media Lab will support research on sensors, robotics, and physical computing. The project was built by Shawmut Design and Construction.

Trinity College Dublin will build the $69 million South East Corner Development to house the School of Engineering and the School of Natural Sciences. The 161,458-sf facility will provide advanced research laboratories and teaching spaces. Healy Kelly Turner & Townsend is the project manager. The sustainably designed facility will be built in phases with initial occupancy in 2014 and final completion expected in 2017.

Texas A&M University has selected Skanska USA to construct the $34 million Arts and Humanities Building in College Station. The 107,000-sf facility will house the Department of English, the Department of Performance Studies, and the Institute for Digital Humanities, Media and Culture. The building will provide advanced classrooms, studios, rehearsal rooms, music teaching labs, and offices. Completion is slated for summer of 2012.

The University of New South Wales is planning to build the Wallace Wurth Building in Sydney. Accommodating 678 staff and 1300 students, the medical teaching, research, and training facility will house wet and dry labs, classrooms, lecture halls, seminar rooms, and an animal facility.

The University of Michigan will begin construction in spring of 2011 on a 62,500-sf addition to the G.G. Brown Memorial Laboratories in Ann Arbor. The $46 million facility will house the Center of Excellence in Nano Mechanical Science and Engineering. Supported by $9.5 million in funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the three-story addition will house faculty and graduate student offices and 60 laboratory modules. The project architect is Perkins + Will. Completion is expected in late 2014.

The University of Iowa is constructing the $122.5 million Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building in Iowa City. Built as an extension of the Medical Education and Research Facility and the Carver Biomedical Research Building, the 200,000-sf interdisciplinary research facility will house laboratories for biomedical, life science, and stem cell research. The project broke ground in September of 2007 and will include the $25 million Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center.

Carleton University opened the $30.4 million Canal Building in January of 2011. Attaining five out of five on the Green Globes sustainable design rating scale, the seven-story, 100,000-sf facility will accommodate aerospace, sustainable energy, and biomedical engineering programs. Construction began on the Canal building in June of 2009. Sustainable design elements include sun shading, photovoltaic panels, a green roof, occupancy controlled lighting, automated building systems, and abundant natural light. A biowall in the atrium absorbs carbon dioxide and emits oxygen.

University Health System broke ground in January of 2011 on a $778 million patient tower in San Antonio. The 10-story, 1 million-sf facility will house 420 private rooms, 35 operating rooms, and an emergency department. The design team includes Perkins + Will, Garza/Bomberger & Associates, RVK Architects, and Richard Sanchez Architects. Occupancy is expected in spring of 2014.

The University of Southern Mississippi will begin construction in summer of 2011 on a $10 million science building in Long Beach. Located on the Gulf Park campus, the three-story, 36,000-sf facility will provide an 80-seat classroom, nine teaching labs, research space, and faculty offices for the College of Science and Technology. The project is being designed by Allred Architectural Group. Occupancy is expected in early 2012.

Northeastern University is building the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security in Burlington, Mass. Funded in part by a $12 million donation, the three-story, 70,000-sf facility will house laboratories for the study of information protection, explosive detection, nanotechnology, robotics, and energy harvesting. The sustainably designed project will open in summer of 2011. The facility will house up to 100 researchers.

The University at Buffalo is building the 130,000-sf Barbara and Jack Davis Hall in Buffalo, N.Y. Housing the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the $75 million facility will provide flexible laboratories, classrooms, and seminar rooms for interdisciplinary research and education. The project was designed by Perkins + Will and includes a 5,000-sf cleanroom for nanotechnology fabrication.

The University of Aberystwyth initiated construction on two research facilities in late 2010. The $11.1 million, 2,000-sm Phenomics facility will house laboratories and greenhouses for plant science. The project is the centerpiece of the Institute for International Plant Breeding, a center housing laboratories, an enterprise hub, and accommodation for visiting academics. The second facility is a two-story teaching and research block slated for completion in late 2011. A BREEAM Excellent rating for sustainable design will be sought for both projects.

City University of New York has awarded Skanska USA a $92 million contract to construct two research buildings in Harlem, N.Y. A 473,000-sf facility will house labs, a 100-seat lecture hall, and a cafeteria. The second building will provide 247,000 sf of laboratory space for biology, chemistry, and physics. Construction began in January of 2011 with completion expected in summer of 2014.

The University of North Florida broke ground on a $5.6 million addition to the College of Education and Human Services Building in January of 2011. Located in Jacksonville, the sustainably designed 16,000-sf facility will house the Disability Resource Center, the Military and Veterans Resource Center, the On-Campus Transition Program, and the Institute for Values, Community, and Leadership. The project team includes Baker Barrios Architects of Orlando and construction manager PPI. Completion is expected in January of 2012.

North Carolina A&T State University's $25 million classroom building in Greensboro is slated for completion in March of 2011. The 81,000-sf facility will house the international, honors, and university studies programs. Featuring advanced audio-visual technologies for distance learning, the sustainably designed building will provide 15 flexible classrooms seating between 40 and 128 students and a 240-seat lecture hall.