Higher Education

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology dedicated its $73 million Academic Center in February of 2009. The 371,000-sf, 16-story facility will support STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education with 24 technology-rich classrooms, teaching laboratories, seminar rooms, a multi-media production facility, and a 125-seat auditorium. The project was designed by Burt Hill and includes video conferencing and distance learning capabilities.

Presbyterian College will begin renovating a 50,000-sf facility in Clinton, S.C., in April of 2009 to house its School of Pharmacy. The completed Frampton Hall will house two auditoriums, five classrooms, teaching and research laboratories, faculty and administrative offices, a clinic, and a simulation area. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2010.

Gallaudet University celebrated the opening of the Molecular Genetics Laboratory in Washington, D.C., in February of 2009. The building will provide research space for the departments of biology and chemistry and is specifically designed for deaf researchers. The open-plan lab houses environmental chambers, ultralow freezers, fume and sterile hoods, DNA gel equipment, and PCR thermocyclers for research in genetics, environmental science, and cancer. Construction began on the project in January of 2008 and reached completion in August of 2008.

Swansea University is planning to construct the £21.6 million Centre for NanoHealth on its Singleton campus in Swansea in the United Kingdom. Supported by £10 million in funding from the Convergence European Regional Development Fund, the integrated facility will enable researchers, clinicians, engineers, and industry partners to develop nanoscale technologies for the creation of advanced biomedical therapies. The Centre for NanoHealth will house interdisciplinary research on regenerative medicine such as tissue engineering utilizing adult stem cells.

Johannes Gutenberg University is planning to construct the €30 million Excellence Center for Life Sciences in Mainz, Germany. The 6,000-sm project will receive €100 million for operational support over ten years from Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation. The biomedical research facility will be constructed in two phases, with the first phase opening in January of 2011.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas initiated the interior build-out of the Shadow Lane Biomedical Facility in January of 2009. Designed by SmithGroup of Phoenix with McCarthy as general contractor, the build-out includes modifying 31,200-sf of existing shell space into medical classrooms, laboratories, hospital simulation spaces, offices, and study rooms. McCarthy is also installing new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems as well as relocating an existing chiller and other mechanical equipment.

Union College is planning to construct the $18 million Peter Irving Wold Science and Engineering Center in Schenectady, N.Y. The three-story, 35,000-sf facility will house labs and classrooms for biochemistry, environmental science, engineering, and energy research. The building will also house incubator research programs in acoustics and aerogel, a rooftop energy research laboratory, and a high performance computing laboratory. Construction is expected to begin in summer of 2009 and reach completion in fall of 2011.

The University of Oxford opened the £5 million Jenner Institute Laboratories in February of 2009 in the United Kingdom. The facility features laboratories for vaccine research and development for diseases including malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, and bird flu. The Jenner Institute is a partnership between Oxford University and the Institute for Animal Health (IAH). The facility integrates basic science research in immunology and genetics with clinical vaccine development and commercialization.

The College of William and Mary is engaged in a $25 million renovation and expansion of the William Small Physical Laboratory in Williamsburg, Va. Adding two new wings, the project will increase research lab space in the existing 67,000-sf facility from 11,300-sf to 23,000-sf. One wing will house high-bay space with an interior crane and the second wing will feature modular laboratories for ease of reconfiguration. The renovated facility will also include a computing lab for simulation and research, low vibration research space, and a cleanroom.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is planning to construct the $76 million Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) on the Charlotte Research Institute campus. Designed by Narmour Wright Creech Architects, the 200,000-sf collaborative teaching and research facility will house the departments of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Electrical Engineering. Groundbreaking is expected in late summer of 2009 with completion slated for 2011.

Daemen College opened the $15 million Research & Information Commons in January of 2009 in Amherst, N.Y. The 45,000-sf building is comprised of a technology-rich library and instructional facilities. Sustainable design features of the project include lighting sensors, recycled materials, and a highly reflective and emissive roof. Designed by Perry Dean Rogers Partners Architects, the facility will act as a living laboratory for research and education in environmental sustainability.

University Campus Suffolk broke ground in January of 2009 on the University Quay development in Ipswich, U.K. The project includes two dormitories and an academic building housing the Faculty of Health, Wellbeing and Science; instructional facilities; a library, and a student union. The first phase of the academic building will open in September of 2010. The project team includes RMJM Architects, contractor Watkin Jones Group, and Turner and Townsend.

St. Cloud State University opened the $15 million Robert H. Wick Science Building in St. Cloud, Minn., in January of 2009. The 36,000-sf addition houses classrooms and laboratories for chemistry and biology. Labs feature individual fume foods and distilled water at each bench. The Wick Science Building supports research in areas including immunology, genetics, cancer, and water toxicology. Additionally, St. Cloud State began construction in January of 2009 on a $15 million, 75,000-sf renovation of Brown Hall to provide instruction in nursing, communication, and physics.

Napier University began construction in January of 2009 on the Sighthill Campus for health, life, and social sciences in Edinburgh, Scotland. The facility is being built by contractor Balfour Beatty and features a central atrium, lecture halls, classrooms, clinical skills laboratories, seminar rooms, and research facilities. The project is part of a £100 million expansion of Napier University’s facilities and is expected to open in fall of 2010.

Rice University will initiate construction in 2009 on the 111,000-sf Brockman Hall for Physics in Houston. Housing vibration- and noise- controlled laboratories, the facility will support research in fundamental and applied physics. The building will be sited adjacent to George R. Brown Hall in the new Science Quadrangle and is slated for completion in December of 2010. Housing advanced instrumentation for precision measurement, the project will consolidate research faculty currently housed in five separate locations.