Higher Education

The University of California, Berkeley broke ground on the Richard C. Blum Center for Developing Economies on April 20, 2009. The $16 million project includes renovation of the historic Naval Architecture Building and construction of a new wing. The completed facility will house the Blum Center as well as the College of Engineering's Industrial Engineering and Operations Research Department. Construction will begin in mid-2009 with completion expected in late 2010. The project was designed by Gensler Architects of San Francisco.

The University of Utah broke ground in April of 2009 on the $130 million James L. Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building in Salt Lake City. Anchoring the University’s new Interdisciplinary Quadrangle, the 200,000-sf research facility will feature advanced imaging and nanotechnology laboratories and a 20,000-sf nanofabrication suite. Comprised of five stories, one below grade, the facility will house flexible open labs and four specialty core labs for small animal imaging, biomedical microscopy, engineering microscopy, and nanofabrication.

Belfast Metropolitan College broke ground on the £44 million Titanic Quarter campus in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in April of 2009. The general contractor for the 20,000-sm facility is Ballymena-based Patton Construction with Ivywood Colleges as project developer. Completion is slated for August of 2011.

The University of Kansas will break ground in summer of 2009 on a 20,000-sf bioscience incubator in Lawrence. Supported by $8 million from the Lawrence-Douglas County Bioscience Authority, the business incubator will house wet laboratories for life sciences research. Occupancy is expected in 2010.

Construction on the Centennial Hills Library in Las Vegas reached completion in April of 2009. In addition to a 32,431-sf library, the 45,555-sf Centennial Hills facility houses an advanced book and media management system. Additional space has been built out for future expansion of the library to meet the needs of the growing community. LEED Silver certification will be sought for the project, which was designed by JMA Architecture Studios with URS Corporation as construction manager.

The University of Chicago dedicated the renovated Searle Chemistry Laboratory on April 20, 2009. The $49 million project will support cross-disciplinary collaborative research with advanced laboratories and instrumentation. The Chemistry Department, the Computation Institute, and the Tri-Institutional Center for Chemical Methods and Library Development will be housed in the 85,000-gsf facility. The five-story building will include suites for NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry as well as cleanroom facilities.

The University of the Pacific broke ground on the $12 million John T. Chambers Technology Center in April of 2009. Located in Stockton, Calif., the 24,000-sf facility will house the School of Engineering and Computer Science. The building will include seven research and teaching laboratories, faculty offices, classrooms, conference rooms, and study areas. LEED certification for sustainable design will be sought for the project.

The University of Washington broke ground on the $36.9 million Center for Urban Waters in Tacoma, Wash., in April of 2009. The three-story multidisciplinary research facility will house water and environmental science laboratories for the University and the city of Tacoma. LEED Platinum certification will be sought for the 51,205-sf waterfront facility. The Center for Urban Waters is being developed in collaboration with Puget Sound Partnership.

Osaka University will begin construction in March of 2010 on a nanotechnology business incubator in Osaka, Japan. The construction cost of the five-story building is estimated at over one billion yen. Housing nanotechnology laboratories, the facility will provide access to equipment and instrumentation as well as promoting collaboration with University researchers and engineers. The nanotechnology incubator will house up to 24 companies.

The University of Minnesota is the first university in the nation to use Build America Bonds to fund capital projects. Build America Bonds were authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, enabling state and local governments to issue taxable bonds for projects eligible for tax-exempt financing and to receive a new direct federal subsidy payment for a portion of their borrowing costs.

Montana State University is planning to construct three new facilities to house the Northern Agricultural Research Center in Havre, Mont. The $1.8 million project will begin construction in summer of 2009 with the first facility slated for completion in early 2010. The completed Northern Agricultural Research Center will house offices, laboratories, meeting rooms, a livestock research facility, a calving barn, and a chemical handling facility.

Monash University opened its $153 million regenerative medicine research facility in Clayton, Australia, in April of 2009. Construction began on the 17,200-sm project in January of 2007. The sustainably-designed facility is comprised of two four-story buildings connected by a core structure and is part of a growing biomedical research campus.

Yale University completed the $33.5 million Kroon Hall in New Haven, Conn., in April of 2009. Designed to use 50 percent less energy than a comparable building, the facility will house the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. The 56,467-sf building was designed by Hopkins Architects in partnership with Centerbrook Architects and Planners. LEED Platinum sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.

Mesa Community College is constructing the $13.5 million Saguaro Building on its Red Mountain campus in northeast Mesa, Ariz. Slated for completion in fall of 2009, the 42,000-sf facility will feature vivarium and terrarium space for indigenous animal and plant species. The Saguaro Building will house life science laboratories, ten classrooms, study areas, a theater, a bat nesting area, and a snake pit. LEED certification for sustainable design will be sought for the project. The facility was designed by SmithGroup.

Oklahoma State University will officially break ground on the Institute for Agricultural Biosciences on May 1, 2009. Located in Ardmore, the facility will support research on agricultural energy sources in collaboration with the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. The building will house administrative space, traditional and controlled environmental laboratories, greenhouses, and conference rooms for the OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. LEED certification for sustainable design will be sought for the project.