Higher Education

The New Brunswick Development Corporation began construction in early summer of 2023 on the first phase of the HELIX innovation district. Catalyzing regional synergies in medical research, education, and healthcare, the $750 million project will accommodate tenants including Rutgers University, RWJBarnabas Health, Hackensack Meridian Health, and Princeton University. The 12-story, 573,400-sf structure will strategically collocate three key elements.

How do you respect your campus’ architectural heritage while creating innovative spaces that will serve faculty and students for generations to come? Successfully balancing these demands means realizing what’s possible, studying the history and styles of existing campus buildings, and actively engaging stakeholders to understand their vision for the institution's future. The options run the gamut, from blending in with the historic landscape to creating an entirely new statement for the campus.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston broke ground in June of 2023 on a $299 million facility for the School of Public Health. Located in the Texas Medical Center’s Helix Park, the 350,000-sf tower will provide leading-edge research labs, collaboration spaces, and classrooms for programs in epidemiology, genetics, nutrition, health policy, data science, and health promotion. Featuring an expansive auditorium, the 10-story building will integrate advanced distance-learning technologies to enable both in-person and remote instruction.

Middle Tennessee State University broke ground in June of 2023 on the $74.8 million Applied Engineering Building in Murfreesboro. Strategically sited next to the new School of Concrete and Construction Management, the 89,000-sf facility will house the university's renowned mechatronics program and other engineering technology courses. Specialized learning environments such as the Co-Bot Workplace Development Center will provide students with unique opportunities for experiential education.

The Australian Institute for Infectious Disease (AIID) is planning to construct a state-of-the-art translational research facility in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct. The Doherty Institute, the Burnet Institute, and the University of Melbourne are the founding partners for the AUD$650 million project, which will accommodate over 1,000 scientists, academics, professionals, and public health experts engaged in collaborative discovery.

Prairie View A&M University opened the $70 million Engineering Classroom and Research Building in June of 2023 in Prairie View, Texas. Designed by Stantec to enhance student-faculty interaction, the multidisciplinary facility provides the Roy G. Perry College of Engineering with flexible environments for learning, collaboration, and discovery.

Purdue University is planning to construct the $160 million Nursing and Pharmacy Education Building in West Lafayette, Ind. Fostering interprofessional collaboration and discovery, the 186,000-sf facility will strategically collocate the College of Health and Human Services with the College of Pharmacy. The four-story structure will mirror modern healthcare settings with clinical simulation labs, a pharmacy practice lab, and a nuclear pharmacy lab.

The Ohio State University opened the $237.5 million Pelotonia Research Center in May of 2023 in Columbus. Collocating research programs in life sciences, engineering, data sciences, and environmental health, the 305,000-sf building will accelerate the creation of novel solutions for complex scientific problems. Pelli Clarke & Partners and Moody Nolan designed the five-story structure with integrated laboratory neighborhoods to foster collaboration and discovery.

How do you measure the value of research? That’s the question many universities are contending with as they rethink and revise their master plans to reflect declining enrollments, a complex funding environment, and the realities of older facilities, amid competition for scarce resources. A fresh approach to space planning and benchmarking can help clarify the possibilities.

California State University Northridge (CSUN) broke ground in April of 2023 on the $50 million Autodesk Technology Engagement Center in Lost Angeles. Accommodating programs for the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the two-story, 34,000-sf facility will feature flexible laboratories for research, design, digital capture, prototyping, and fabrication, as well as a maker space that will be accessible to the entire campus community and beyond.

Clemson University broke ground in May of 2023 on the $130 million Advanced Materials Innovation Complex in Clemson, S.C. Housing the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the 143,000-sf center will also accommodate select faculty from the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering as they explore interdisciplinary synergies and endeavors. Collaborative research suites will enable teams of investigators to discover new technologies for advanced manufacturing, energy, and health.

University College London is constructing IoN-DRI, a £281.6 million neuroscience center where 500 clinicians and investigators will work together to translate research discoveries into innovative solutions for patient care. The interdisciplinary complex will collocate the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology (IoN), the UK Dementia Research Institute (DRI), and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

With the rise of esports competitions in games like League of Legends, Fortnite, and Overwatch, colleges are under pressure to open campus spaces for both intercollegiate team matches and intramural clubs. Meeting this need requires flexible facility designs, attention to aesthetics, and, importantly, the involvement of related academic and extracurricular programs, says Rob Bailey, executive director of student affairs information technology at Illinois State University.

The University of California, Berkeley broke ground on a $95 million expansion of the Bechtel Engineering Center in April of 2023. Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the 35,570-sf project will add two new floors to the 43-year-old structure to create a vibrant nexus for multidisciplinary innovation. A transparent steel and glass pavilion will leverage floor-to-ceiling windows, exterior terraces, and a central skylight to provide enhanced access to natural light and views, with an extended canopy porch minimizing direct solar exposure.

The University of South Florida opened the $56 million Judy Genshaft Honors College in May of 2023 in Tampa. Designed by Morphosis with FleischmanGarciaMaslowski as executive architect, the 85,000-sf facility features interwoven environments for learning, study, and interdisciplinary exchange. A soaring central atrium opens onto adjoining flexible spaces that can be connected to accommodate large events.