Higher Education

The University of Buffalo and Kaleida Health broke ground on a $291 million clinical care and research facility on August 3, 2009. Located on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, the ten-story, 600,000-sf project includes Kaleida Health’s Global Vascular Institute, the University at Buffalo’s Center for Clinical and Translational Research, and a biosciences incubator for the university. The collaborative facility will connect to Buffalo General Hospital and is slated for completion by late 2011.

Wofford College opened the Glendale Shoals Environmental Studies Center in July of 2009. Designed by McMillan, Smith & Partners of Spartanburg, the $1.2 million LEED-certified renovation created teaching and seminar space, a library, and laboratories for environmental science. The project is sited on 23 acres, enabling students to gather and process soil and water samples on site. Wofford College is based in Spartanburg, S.C.

Auburn University will construct the 68,000-sf Center for Advanced Science, Innovation, and Commerce in Auburn, Ala. Funded by a $14.4 million stimulus grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the $29 million science building will house 21 laboratories including three genomics labs and two simulation labs.

Rice University will begin construction in fall of 2009 on the $44.5 million Brockman Hall for Physics in Houston. The National Institute of Standards and Technology awarded $11 million in stimulus funding for the project in July of 2009.

The University of Miami was awarded $15 million in stimulus funding in July of 2009 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to build the $44 million Marine Technology and Life Sciences Seawater (MTLSS) Research Building in Miami, Fla. To be constructed at the University’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, the facility will house state-of-the-art seawater laboratories and multidisciplinary research facilities dedicated to two major areas of coastal studies—the destructive power of hurricanes and the biology of coastal waters.

President Barrack Obama proposed a $12 billion Community College Initiative on July 14, 2009. Providing direct financial assistance to institutions, the initiative would provide support for modernization and construction, distance learning, and job training. The proposal would enable an additional five million people to receive associate degrees or certificates by 2020. $2.5 billion of the funding would support loans to community colleges for facility construction and renovation.

Clemson University opened the 28,000-sf Harris A. Smith Building in mid-2009 in Clemson, S.C. Housing the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics, the $7 million facility supports instruction and research in packaging science, graphic communications, environmental science, manufacturing principles, and marketing.

The State University of New York Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) is planning to build the $45 million Computer Chip Commercialization Center in Marcy, N.Y. Created in partnership with University at Albany College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering, the facility will support R&D collaboration with private industry partners. Construction is expected to begin in fall of 2009 and reach completion in 2011.

Midwestern State University opened the expanded and renovated Fowler Hall in Wichita Falls, Texas, in July of 2009. Housing the McCoy School of Engineering, the 23,000-sf academic building provides classrooms, department and faculty offices, study pods, and engineering research facilities. The project was designed by SHW Group of Dallas and features three high bay labs as well as labs for physics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer, machine dynamics, measurement and instrumentation, fluid power, and materials science. Jose I.

Pennsylvania State University celebrated the opening of the $121 million Hershey Cancer Institute on June 26, 2009. The 176,000-sf facility is located on the Hershey Medical Center Campus in University Park, Pa. Designed by Payette of Boston, the translational research facility integrates clinical treatment and medical research. The project team included associate architect Array Healthcare Facilities Solutions, construction manager Gilbane Building, and MEP engineer Bard, Rao + Athanas (BR+A).

Christopher Newport University is building a $31.2 million academic building in Newport News, Va. Construction began on the 138,500-sf McMurran Hall in mid-2008 with occupancy expected in January of 2010. Other campus projects include a $26.1 million renovation and expansion of Freeman Center and the construction of a new science building housing the departments of biology, chemistry, and environmental science.

Oakland University is planning to build the $62 million Human Health Building in Rochester, Mich. Housing the departments of nursing and health sciences, the five-story, 160,000-sf facility is slated for completion in 2012. The Human Health Building will include classrooms, seminar rooms, an interactive media center, physical therapy clinics, simulation labs, clinical labs, computer labs, and distance learning facilities. The project architect is SmithGroup of Detroit.

Princeton University is building a 236,000-sf, four-story chemistry building in Princeton, N.J. Replacing existing chemistry facilities, the building will house teaching and research labs, department offices, lecture halls, and an auditorium. The sustainably-designed facility will feature self-closing fume hoods, photovoltaic panels, and advanced HVAC systems. The project team includes Hopkins Architects, Payette, and Turner Construction.

University College Dublin is planning to build a €60 million research and innovation facility in Dublin, Ireland. Housing research, teaching, and chemistry laboratories, the 10,000-sm facility will be accompanied by 8,600-sm of renovated space in the existing UCD science center. The project, which will accommodate more than 2,000 undergraduate students and 525 postgraduate students, is part of University College Dublin’s campus master plan to further Ireland’s national science education and research initiative.

The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology initiated construction in July of 2009 on the $62 million University Design Hub in Melbourne, Australia. The 12,000-sm building will support research and teaching in the disciplines of architecture, textile and fashion design, industrial design, landscape architecture, urban design, engineering, fine art, and creative media.