Higher Education

Auburn University officially broke ground on its $21 million Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research Center on February 4, 2010. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 45,000-sf facility is slated for completion in September of 2010. The construction manager for the project is Brasfield & Gorrie LLC. The MRI Research Center will feature a Siemens Verio open-bore 3T MRI and an actively shielded whole-body 7T MRI. The Verio 3T MRI will be used for clinical and research applications and the 7T MRI will be dedicated solely to research.

The University of Washington will begin construction in July of 2010 on the $96 million Veterinary Medical Research Building in Pullman.  The 128,875-sf building will provide research facilities for at least 32 faculty members. Completion is expected in 2012.

Hampton University was awarded $8 million in stimulus funding from the National Institutes of Health in February of 2010 to construct a biomedical research center in Hampton, Va. The facility will house research space for the school’s programs in science, pharmacy, and nursing, as well as the existing Center for Advanced Medical Instrumentation. Construction will begin on the 20,000-sf center in spring of 2010.

Gulf Coast Community College is planning to break ground in summer of 2010 on the $30 million Advanced Technology Center in Panama City, Fla. The four-story, 100,000-sf facility will provide flexible, collaborative research space for students and community businesses. Completion is slated for fall of 2012. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which will feature a green roof, photovoltaic panels, and wind turbines.

The University of Louisiana opened its new animal research facility in Monroe in February of 2010. Providing research space for the College of Pharmacy, the $3 million facility houses mice and rats used in pharmacological and toxicological testing. The laboratory features 10 to 15 air changes per hour in the animal suites, automatic light timers, and a steam sterilization unit for equipment.

John Brown University is planning to construct a 40,000-sf facility in Siloam Springs, Ark., to consolidate its engineering and construction management programs. Supported by an $8 million philanthropic gift, the building will provide approximately 15,000-sf of laboratory space and 25,000-sf of classrooms and offices. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2011. 

Kansas State University will initiate construction in late 2010 on the O. H. Kruse Feed Mill & BioRefinery in Manhattan. Housing the Feed Science and Management (FSM) program and the Departments of Grain Science and Animal Sciences, the building will support the College of Agriculture with a dedicated BSL-2 teaching and research feed mill. The preliminary design consultant for the project is Younglove Construction of Sioux City, Iowa. The facility will include a biorefinery.

Indiana University Bloomington opened three new teaching laboratories in Jordan Hall in January of 2010. Comprised of 5,300 sf on two floors, the life science labs include biosafety cabinets, incubation and cell growth facilities, ultralow freezers, water baths, and centrifuges. The $2 million project was designed by the University Architects Office and Indianapolis-based arcDESIGN.

Calhoun Community College is constructing the Robotics Technology Park in Decatur, Ala. The first phase of the project is comprised of a $17.6 million, 52,000-sf research and training facility. The second phase of construction will create the $8 million Advanced Technology Research and Development Center, which will include a testing facility for industry partners. The third phase will add the $6 million, 25,000-sf Integration and Entrepreneurial Center. 

College of the Holy Cross opened the newly renovated Haberlin Hall in Worcester, Mass., in January of 2010. Designed by Einhorn Yaffee Prescott of Boston and built by Bond Brothers of Everett, Mass., Haberlin Hall houses teaching and research facilities for chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer science. The project represents the final phase of the $63 million Integrated Science Complex. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the complex.

Portland State University’s $35 million Science Building 2 is slated for completion in December of 2010. Designed by IDC Architects, the expansion and renovation project will transform the 214,000-gsf facility into a Science Technology Research Center (STRC) housing leading-edge teaching and research laboratories. The project team includes general contractor Hoffman Construction Co., The Estime Group, and Degenkolb Engineers. LEED sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

The University of Florida celebrated the opening of the $60 million Emerging Pathogens Institute in Gainesville in January of 2010. Providing BSL-2 and BSL-3 research laboratories, the 80,000-sf building supports research on select agents and pathogens that affect human, animal, and plant populations. Housing 150 researchers, the 108,000-sf facility provides 28 labs, three BSL-3 greenhouses, offices, and support.  Ground was broken on the project in February of 2008. LEED Silver certification will be sought for the project.

The University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee is planning to begin construction in 2012 on the $75 million Kenwood Integrated Research Complex. Slated for occupancy in 2015, the project will provide approximately 175,000-sf in a five- or six-story building housing multidisciplinary research labs, core facilities, classrooms, and collaboration space.

The University of Kentucky dedicated the 286,000-sf College of Pharmacy in Lexington in January of 2010. Designed by EOP Architects in association with Ellenzweig, the six-story project features lecture halls, classrooms, offices, teaching and research labs, and a five-story atrium. Construction began on the $134 million facility in fall of 2007. The general contractor for the project was Messer Construction.

The College of Southern Idaho opened the $21 million Health Sciences and Human Services building in Twin Falls in January of 2010. The 72,270-sf facility houses three lecture auditoriums, nine classrooms, nine program laboratories, three conference rooms, simulation suites, and 36 staff offices. The project was awarded LEED Gold sustainable design certification.