Higher Education

The University of British Columbia is constructing the $37 million Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) in Vancouver. Designed by Perkins + Will, the facility is designed to transcend carbon neutrality by acting as a net energy producer and a greenhouse gas-positive building. Slated for completion in summer of 2011, the project will function as a living laboratory for sustainable design, construction, and operation.

Charles Sturt University opened the $8.2 million Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory in Wagga Wagga in February of 2010. Providing space for animal disease detection and post-mortem examinations of livestock, the secure facility features a PC3 (physical containment level three) laboratory for infectious disease research on select agents such as anthrax, Q-fever, and psittacosis.

The University of Toronto is building the four-story Health Sciences Complex in Mississauga, Ontario. Housing the Mississauga Academy of Medicine and laboratories for chemistry, forensics, molecular biology, and biomedical research, the $36 million facility is slated for completion in summer of 2011. The project manager is PMX Inc.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) is designing a 45,000-sf addition to the School of Science and Engineering & Technology. The $25 million project will provide laboratories and a vivarium. A planned second phase of construction will include teaching and research labs, classrooms, administrative offices, and conference rooms.

Valparaiso University will begin construction in March of 2010 on the $13 million Donald V. Fites Engineering Innovation Center in Valparaiso, Ind. The 13,500-sf facility will connect to the existing Gellerson Center and is slated for occupancy in fall of 2011.

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology is constructing the $445 million Trades and Technology Complex in Calgary, Alberta. The 740,000-sf project will provide multidisciplinary education and training facilities including classrooms, lecture halls, workshops, computer labs, and the Enerplus Innovation Centre. Completion is slated for 2012.

Central Michigan University broke ground in February of 2010 on a $24 million addition to the Health Professions Building in Mount Pleasant. Construction will begin on the 60,000-sf facility in May of 2010 with completion slated for January of 2012.  

Kansas State University was awarded $12 million in February of 2010 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to support research in zoonotic and animal disease defense. The grant will establish a Center of Excellence to develop vaccines, diagnostic methods, pandemic modeling tools, and educational programs.

Okanagan College is building the $28 million Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation in Penticton, British Columbia. The zero-energy, zero-waste facility will feature the largest photovoltaic solar array on a non-utility building in Canada. Supporting education, research, and training in sustainable design, the building will include interactive instrumentation for monitoring of building systems. The facility will also house the Okanagan Research and Innovation Centre.

The University of Louisville was awarded LEED Gold sustainable design certification for its $143 million Clinical and Translational Research Building in February of 2010. The 288,000-sf project was designed by Arrasmith, Judd, Rapp, Chovan of Louisville and SmithGroup of Detroit. The general contractor was Messer Construction of Cincinnati. Ground was broken on the project in February of 2006 with completion in October of 2009.

Florida International University dedicated its $34 million College of Nursing and Health Sciences facility in Miami in February of 2010. The five-story, 100,000-sf building consolidates the university’s health sciences programs in a single location to support collaborative teaching and research. Designed by HOK, the facility is comprised of two wings and features simulation training suites, interactive skills laboratories, lecture classrooms, distance learning facilities, conference rooms, wet research labs, computer suites, and evaluation areas.

The University of California Riverside celebrated the opening of the Stem Cell Core Facility (SCCF) in February of 2010. Located in Noel Keen Hall, the 2,000-sf facility features a Nikon BioStation CT incubator and advanced microscopy instrumentation. The project was funded by $2.8 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

The University of Hawaii at Hilo’s $28 million Science and Technology Building is slated for completion in October of 2010. The 41,560-sf facility will house classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, and research space for the departments of physics, astronomy, and chemistry.

The University of Colorado is building the Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building in Boulder. Ground was broken on the interdisciplinary project in September of 2009 with completion expected in fall of 2011. The cost of the first phase of construction is $145 million. The 257,000-sf research and teaching facility will house the department of chemical and biological engineering, the biochemistry division of the department of chemistry and biochemistry, and the Colorado Initiative in Molecular Biotechnology (CIMB).

Grand Valley State University will begin construction in spring of 2011 on the $70 million Mary Idema Pew Library and Information Commons in Allendale, Mich. The five-story, 100,000-sf facility will provide seating for 1,500 students, shelf space for 150,000 books, and an automated storage and retrieval system for an additional 600,000 volumes. The building will also house 30 meeting and study rooms. Completion is expected in April of 2013.