Higher Education

The University of Rhode Island broke ground in October of 2009 on a 148,000-sf facility for the College of Pharmacy in Kingston. Housing leading edge teaching and research labs and business incubator space, the $75 million facility will support programs in pharmaceutics manufacturing, pharmacognosy, 3D visualization, and histology. The building will include lecture halls, classrooms, a patient clinic, tissue culture, and a 3D visualization auditorium.

The University of Western Ontario opened the $22 million Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion in London, Ontario, in October of 2009. Housing the department of engineering, the 45,000-sf teaching and research facility will support the development of sustainable technologies and materials. The project features a green roof, a wind turbine, and solar panels. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.

Purdue University dedicated the $33 million Wayne T. and Mary T. Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology in October of 2009 in West Lafayette, Ind. The 65,690-sf facility will enable researchers to develop innovative vaccines and disease treatments. Housing the Markey Center for Structural Biology, the building includes eight specialized labs, eight general labs, offices, and conference rooms. The facility provides suites for NMR spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction, as well as a biocontainment laboratory.

Butler University dedicated its $14 million pharmacy and health sciences addition in Indianapolis in October of 2009. The sustainably designed 40,000-sf facility houses classrooms, lecture halls, project rooms, faculty offices, and teaching and research labs. LEED Silver certification will be sought for the project, which features waterless urinals, natural lighting, and heat recovery. The duration of construction was approximately one year.

Wayne State University School of Medicine completed construction of the $35 million Mazurek Medical Education Commons in Detroit in October of 2009. Comprised of a 34,000-sf addition and a 69,000-sf expansion and renovation of the existing Vera Parshall Shiffman Medical Library, the project creates a connected three-story complex. Featuring a clinical skills training center with simulation labs, the commons includes classrooms, administrative offices, and collaborative study areas.

Marquette University will break ground in spring of 2010 on a $100 million engineering building in Milwaukee. The first phase of construction will create a five-story, 100,000-sf facility housing classrooms and teaching and research laboratories. Occupancy is expected in August of 2011. The project team includes Opus North Corp. as design-builder, Opus Architects & Engineers as architect of record, and HGA as design consultant.

The National University of Ireland, Galway broke ground on a €40 million engineering facility in October of 2009. The four-story, 14,000-sm building will include classrooms, lecture halls, faculty offices, and 36 laboratories. Completion is expected in early 2011.

The University of Texas will begin construction in December of 2009 on the $70 million Business Leadership Building in Denton. Designed by Polshek Partnership Architects, the four-story, 180,000-sf building will house 220 offices and 24 classrooms. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project. Completion is expected in June of 2011.

Ground was broken on the $40.1 million Robert H.N. Ho Research Centre at Vancouver General Hospital in September of 2009. Providing translational research facilities for the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine, the 69,350-sf building will house the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility; the OvCaRe Ovarian Cancer Research program, and an expansion of the Vancouver Prostate Centre. Completion is expected in spring of 2011.

The University of Washington received $126 million in federal stimulus funding in September of 2009 to construct an advanced ocean observatory on the Pacific Northwest coast. Part of the National Science Foundation's Ocean Observatories Initiative, the Regional Scale Nodes and the Center for Environmental Visualization will include an extensive under-sea remote sensing network to provide researchers with real-time data about ocean events. The network will support research in geology, marine biology, seismology, and climate change.

The Medical College of Georgia broke ground in late September of 2009 on the $112 million School of Dentistry in Augusta, Ga. The five-story, 270,000-sf facility was designed by Lord, Aeck & Sargent and will house instructional facilities and clinical space. LEED certification will be sought for the project, which will feature automated sun shades and lighting fixtures. Occupancy is expected in early 2012.

Duke-National University of Singapore (Duke-NUS) dedicated the Khoo Teck Puat Building in Singapore on September 28, 2009. The facility provides a world-class environment for medical education and research in the areas of emerging infectious diseases, cancer and stem cell biology, neuroscience and behavioral disorders, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, and health services and systems research.

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art opened its $150 million laboratory building in September of 2009 in New York. The 175,000-sf facility is expected to attain a minimum of LEED Gold certification for sustainable design. Designed by Morphosis, the nine-story project features reconfigurable classrooms, laboratories, and studios. Housing the Albert Nerken School of Engineering and Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the facility also provides space for the School of Art and the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture.

The University of Waterloo broke ground on the $36 million Engineering VI Building in September of 2009. The five-story, 113,000-sf facility will house research labs, classrooms, and administrative space for the department of chemical engineering. Completion is expected in March of 2011.

Tarrant County College began construction in September of 2009 on the 120,000-sf Science and Academic Building in Arlington, Texas. Slated for completion in 2010, the sustainable three-story building will have a 150-200 seat lecture hall, student gathering areas, general purpose classrooms, an atrium, and teaching laboratories. Plano-based SHW Group is the project architect and Turner Construction Company's Dallas office is serving as general contractor. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the facility.