Higher Education

The Harry R. Brooks Complex for Science, Mathematics and Technology at Wilson College, completed in January, hopes to qualify for LEED certification. The $25 million, 76,500-sf facility, a renovation and expansion of the existing Paul Swain Havens Science Center, was managed by R.S. Mowery & Sons Inc., a general contractor in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Research Facilities Design (RFD) served as the laboratory building design consultant. A two-story atrium provides ample natural light to the building.

The Helen Diller Family Cancer Research Building at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), opened at the university’s biomedical research and education Mission Bay campus. The 163,865-gsf, five-story building was designed by Rafael Vinoly and is exclusively dedicated to cancer research, treatment, and prevention. Translational research into cancer’s basic biological mechanisms, brain tumors, urologic oncology, pediatric oncology, cancer population sciences, and computational biology will all be housed at the new facility.

The University of Minnesota (UM) and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory are planning the NuMI Off-Axis Electron Neutrino Appearance Experiment (NOvA), which will be built 45 feet below ground near Ash River, Minn. The $270 million project , which has received $40 million in Federal stimulus grant funding, will operate as a UM School of Physics and Astronomy lab. The balance of the funding will come from the U.S. Department of Energy. The subatomical research is expected to shed light on the origins of the universe.

DePaul’s new Monsignor Andrew J. McGowan Science Building, housing the departments of chemistry, environmental sciences, and biological sciences,  was designed and constructed with LEED certification in mind. The structure contains classrooms, labs, academic offices, and greenhouses.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will award approximately eight to twelve grants, totalling $120 million, in early 2010 to higher education institutions and nonprofits to build or expand their scientific research capabilities. The grants, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestments Act of 2009, will be competitive, with Letters of Intent due to NIST by June 25, and full proposals by August 10. A variety of facilities--labs, test and measurement facilities, research computing facilities, observatories—will be considered.

Computer Guidance Corporation, developer of financial and project management software solutions for architecture, engineering, and construction companies, announced the launch of its eCMS construction management software solution on a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform. As a hosted solution, eCMS offers the same fully-integrated financial, project, and productivity management solution functionalities and benefits as the traditional enterprise-class eCMS system, but uses a hosted software business model and IT architecture.

Construction of the $38-million WSU Vancouver Applied Technology Classroom Building will begin this year.

Labor rates, material prices and competition in the commercial construction marketplace are combining to make this a great year to put up a building.

$2 billion from Canada's federal government is being targeted at creating a Knowledge Infrastructure Program to support health care, research, and education.

Blue Ridge Community College broke ground in May of 2009 on the $7.5 million Advanced Technology Center in Weyers Cave, Va. Slated for completion by spring of 2011, the 20,500-sf facility will house laboratories for instruction in machining, automated manufacturing, electronics, robotics, and R&D.

The University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine opened the Regenerative Medicine Laboratory at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in May of 2009. Housing advanced facilities to process, culture, and store equine stem cells, the laboratory will also provide stem cell collection kits to veterinarians for harvesting stem cells from blood or bone marrow.

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro broke ground on the $47 million School of Education building in May of 2009. The 120,000-sf facility is slated for completion by fall of 2011. The LEED-certified project features a sustainable design that is expected to save 35 percent on energy costs. Housing 19 classrooms, two lecture halls, and a tiered 100-seat classroom, the facility will include collaboration spaces, instructional computer labs, a multimedia lab, and a research support center.

Texas A&M University broke ground on the $62.4 million Agriculture Headquarters building in College Station in May of 2009. The five-story, 166,000-sf facility will house classrooms, labs, and faculty offices for the departments of Agricultural Economics; Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications; and Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences. A two-story visitor center will also be constructed. Completion for both projects is expected in 2011.

The University of Winnipeg is constructing the 155,000-sf Science Complex and Richardson College for the Environment in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Supported by an $18 million federal infrastructure grant, the $59 million project will house advanced research and teaching laboratories, classrooms, and offices. A minimum of LEED Silver certification for sustainable design will be sought for the project. Ground was broken on the project in November of 2008 with completion expected by March of 2011.

Michigan State University is building the $90 million Secchia Center in Grand Rapids. Construction began on the facility in April of 2008 with occupancy expected in fall of 2010. The seven-story, 180,000-sf facility will house MSU’s College of Human Medicine and will include teaching labs, classrooms, offices, and student areas.