Higher Education

The University of New South Wales broke ground in August of 2010 on the $125 million Tyree Energy Technologies Building in Sydney, Australia. The facility will support research in photovoltaics, carbon capture and storage, oil and gas reserves, nanomaterials, energy policy, and market analysis. Accommodating 300 engineering students and 100 staff members, the sustainably-designed building will include a roof-mounted solar panel array and a gas-fired tri-generation plant for power, heating, and cooling.

Fitchburg State University is planning a $42 million expansion of Condike Science Center in Fitchburg, Mass. The 54,700-sf addition will house classrooms and teaching and research labs for biology and chemistry. The existing science center will be renovated to provide faculty offices and classrooms for physics and geophysical sciences.

Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine is expanding its Drug Discovery Core Facility in Hershey. Supported by $2.78 million federal stimulus funding, the project includes renovation of 6,600 sf on the second floor of the Biomedical Research Building. Consolidating and integrating shared resources for research, the project will provide contiguous offices with dedicated data analysis workstations as well as communal space for faculty and student users.

The University of Queensland opened the $100 million School of Veterinary Science in Gatton in August of 2010. The teaching and research complex includes the Veterinary Science Building, the UQ Veterinary Medical Centre Pre-Clinical Teaching Laboratories, the Veterinary Clinical Studies Building, and the Equine and Companion Animal Hospitals. The school will accommodate 550 veterinary science students.

The University of Central Florida opened its College of Medicine in August of 2010. Located in the Lake Nona Medical City in Orlando, the $65 million facility houses classrooms, anatomy and simulation labs, and a medical library. Construction began on the 168,000-sf building in June of 2008. LEED sustainable design certification is being sought for the project.

Brown University began construction in June of 2010 on a $42 million renovation project in Providence, R.I. The existing Metcalf Chemistry and Research laboratory will be reconfigured to create a home for the Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences. The facility will feature modern laboratories, classrooms, and faculty offices. Completion is expected in fall of 2011 with laboratories opening in early 2012.

The University of Liverpool has awarded Shepherd Construction a £16.5 million contract to build the 5,950-sm Apex project. The interdisciplinary facility will house researchers studying infectious diseases, cancer, and digestive diseases. BREEAM sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which will include a heat recovery system. Completion is expected in October of 2011.

Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory broke ground on the 47,500-sf Building 30 in July of 2010. The $30 million spacecraft assembly and testing facility will include optics labs and a high-bay cleanroom. The project will support research for NASA and the Department of Defense and is expected to open in fall of 2012. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

The University of Louisville’s was awarded LEED Gold sustainable design certification in August of 2010 for the renovation of the 34,000-sf Duthie Center for Engineering. Designed by Lord, Aeck & Sargent, the project reused 95 percent of the existing 1947 structure, including exterior walls, roof decking, and structural floor. During demolition, 77 percent of the materials that weren't reused were recycled. New building materials had 27 percent recycled content, and 31 percent were produced regionally.

The University of Massachusetts Boston will begin construction in fall of 2010 on the $60 million Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. Housing classrooms, archives, an exhibit hall, and a life-size model of the U.S. Senate floor, the technology-rich building will promote dynamic learning and engagement in the field of history. The 40,000-sf project was designed by Rafael Viñoly and will be sited adjacent to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. Occupancy is expected in 2013.

The University of California, Santa Barbara began research at the Center for Stem Cell Biology and Engineering in mid-2010. The $6.3 million laboratory was created by renovating 10,337 sf in the existing Biological Sciences 2 Facility. The collaborative stem cell research facility includes a core laboratory with a high-throughput sequencing apparatus, offices, conference rooms, and support. Additionally, the $6 million CIRM 2 (California Institute for Regenerative Medicine 2) is currently under construction with completion expected in June of 2011.

Montana State University's Eastern Agricultural Research Center broke ground on a $2.5 million facility in Sidney in July 28, 2010. The building will house three research labs, two greenhouses, offices, and a large meeting room. The general contractor for the 10,000-sf project is Fisher Construction.

Stony Brook University will construct an ABSL-3 research facility at the Health Sciences Center in Stony Brook, N.Y. Supported by $14.1 million in federal stimulus funding, the 16,140-sf facility will have a small animal suite, an insectary, and an imaging suite with an adjacent room for work with large animals. Accommodating research with select agents, the facility will include Class II biosafety cabinets, a pass-through cold room, cage and rack washers, ventilated animal housing equipment, and a pass-through autoclave.

Texas A&M University will build out 12,680 asf of shell space in the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building in College Station to house laboratories, equipment, and cold room space. Accommodating research in structural biology, synthetic chemistry, drug discovery, molecular virology, and cancer biology, the project will support collaborative translational research. The facility is supported by $3.5 million in federal stimulus funding and will meet LEED Silver sustainable design standards.

Temple University School of Medicine is planning to construct the 32,400-sf Institute for Translational Neuroscience in Philadelphia. Providing research laboratories for 31 faculty members, the contiguous research facility will be built in existing shell space on the eighth floor of an existing building. The project is supported by $11.8 million in federal stimulus funding. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.