Higher Education

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.

The University of Michigan broke ground on the $46 million Center of Excellence in Nanomechanical Science and Engineering in Ann Arbor in April of 2011. The 62,800-sf facility will support interdisciplinary research in nanoengineering, imaging and optics, materials, biosystems, micro-bioengineering, mechanics and mechanical testing, and microdynamics. The three-story center will house 60 lab modules, eight specialized chambers, faculty offices, and a subterranean lab built to minimize vibration. Completion is expected in mid-2013.

Columbia University broke ground on its Manhattanville Campus in New York in March of 2011. The 17-acre site in West Harlem will house several new buildings including the Jerome L. Greene Science Center for Mind, Brain, and Behavior which is slated for completion in 2015. Columbia’s Manhattanville campus will meet LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) standards. The project team for the LEED-ND program includes Renzo Piano Building Workshop and architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

Construction will begin in late 2011 on the $255 million Epworth Deakin Teaching Hospital in Waurn Ponds, Victoria. The 256-bed facility represents a partnership of Epworth Healthcare and Deakin University. The first phase of construction is slated for occupancy by 2013 and will provide 160 beds and an emergency department.

Indiana University broke ground on the $44 million Jacobs School of Music Faculty Studio Building in Bloomington in April of 2011. Designed by Flad Architects with Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf as architect of record, the 85,000-sf (99,500-gsf) expansion will provide 84 teaching studios, 15 classrooms, practice rooms, administrative offices, and rehearsal rooms.