Higher Education

Northeast Lakeview College completed construction of its $125 million campus in Universal City, Texas, in fall of 2009. Designed by San Antonio-based Overland Partners Architects in collaboration with Ford Powell & Carson, the newest addition to Alamo Colleges consists of nine buildings of academic and learning space. Built in two phases in just over four years, Northeast Lakeview College is sited on 285 acres and has the capacity to serve 15,000 students. Phase I opened in fall 2008 and consisted of five of the campus’ nine buildings.

The University of Connecticut broke ground on the $42 million West Classroom Building in Storrs in December of 2009. Slated for completion in spring of 2011, the 67,000-sf facility will house 17 classrooms and two auditoria. Classes will begin in the technology-rich building in fall of 2011. The project features a green roof, energy-efficient lighting, low-flow water fixtures, and abundant natural light.

New York University officially opened its campus in Abu Dhabi in December of 2009. Classes will begin in the 6,000-sm facility in September of 2010. A permanent campus for New York University will open on Saadiyat Island in 2014.

Texas A&M University dedicated the Mitchell Physics Buildings in College Station in December of 2009. The George P. Mitchell ’40 Physics Building and the George P. and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy were designed by Michael Graves Design Group. Construction began on the $82.5 million project in 2006. The two facilities provide a total of over 197,000-sf of research and teaching laboratories, faculty offices, and lecture facilities.

Cleveland Institute of Art is engaged in a $32 million renovation of the historic McCullough Center for the Visual Arts in Cleveland, Ohio. Transforming the existing 168,000-sf facility into a state-of-the-art learning environment, the project includes infrastructure upgrades and the addition of 7,000-sf. Construction began on the project in spring of 2009 and completion is expected in December of 2010. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the renovation. A second phase of construction will commence in 2011, creating an adjoining facility.

The University of New South Wales broke ground in December of 2009 on the $125 million Tyree Energy Technologies Building (TETB) in Sydney, Australia. The facility will support teaching and research in energy policy, market analysis, photovoltaics, nanomaterials, carbon capture and storage, and oil and gas reserves. The sustainably designed building will accommodate 300 engineering students and is slated for completion in 2012.

Bournville College broke ground on its new £66 million campus in December of 2009 in Birmingham in the United Kingdom. The 4.2 acre campus will provide a business school, a learning resource centre, a construction workshop, and sports facilities. Occupancy is expected in September of 2011.

Southern Illinois University broke ground in December of 2009 on the 107,884-sf Science Building Complex in Edwardsville. Supported by $78.9 million in state funding, the facility will house teaching and research labs, classrooms, offices, and common areas. The project will also include renovations to the existing 60,000-sf science facility. The Science Building Complex is expected to open in July of 2011.

Syracuse University opened the $12.4 million Green Data Center in Syracuse, N.Y., in December of 2009. Created in partnership with IBM and the state of New York, the 12,000-sf facility is comprised of 6,000 sf of infrastructure space and 6,000 sf of raised-floor data center space. The Green Data Center features energy-efficient IBM servers and an on-site power generation system for electricity, heating, and cooling.

Griffith University opened the $18 million Smart Water Research Centre in late November of 2009 on the Gold Coast campus in Queensland, Australia. The facility will support collaborative research with state water authorities and industry partners to develop technologies and solutions to secure future water supplies. The Smart Water Research Centre houses laboratories, distillation rooms, a resource center, and constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment.

The University of Minnesota opened the $69.5 million Medical Biosciences Building in Minneapolis in December of 2009. Designed by Perkins and Will, the 115,000-gsf facility was built by Kraus-Anderson with Sebesta Blomberg as infrastructure engineer. Housing medical research laboratories, offices, and conference space, the facility will support interdisciplinary collaborative research in immunology, neuroscience, cancer research, and infectious diseases. Ground was broken on the project in summer of 2007.

Queensland University of Technology has awarded Leighton Contractors a $205 million contract to manage the design and construction of the Science and Technology Precinct and Community Hub project. Located on the Gardens Point campus in Brisbane, the precinct will support research and teaching in science, technology, engineering, architecture, and mathematics. Comprised of two multi-story towers, the project will feature innovative teaching and research facilities. Construction will begin in 2010 with completion expected in 2012.

Lone Star College-Montgomery broke ground on November of 2009 on three facilities in The Woodlands, Texas. Designed by PBK Architects, the 75,000-sf General Academic Center, the Health Science Center, and the Music Hall are being built by Satterfield and Pontikes Construction.

The University of Georgia has awarded Art’s Way Manufacturing a $1.3 million contract to provide 6 modular swine facilities. Housing breeding, gestation, nursery, and finishing operations, the complex will support swine production research and training. The sustainably-designed project will utilize methane gas produced at the site to fire boilers used to treat animal waste. Exhaust fans connected to a biofilter will improve air quality and rainwater will be collected and recycled for cleaning and irrigation.

Eastern Illinois University broke ground on a biomass-fueled energy plant in Charleston in November of 2009. Reducing the university’s consumption of electricity by 6.2 million kilowatt hours annually and reducing output of carbon dioxide by 20,000 metric tons each year, the $55 million project is being constructed by Honeywell International. The plant will begin operations in fall of 2011.