Higher Education

The University of Alberta received over $100 million in federal stimulus funding for facility renovations in late spring of 2009. Part of a $2 billion economic initiative, the funding will enable 10,000-sm in the Health Research Innovation Facility to be developed as laboratory and teaching space. The project will support medical research in infectious diseases, diabetes, women's and children's health, and organ transplantation. Chemistry and biology buildings will benefit from hood exhaust system upgrades and the construction of additional labs.

National University of Ireland, Maynooth broke ground on a €15m research building in May of 2009. Located on the North Campus, the 4,500-sm facility will house the National Centre for Geocomputation, the National Institute for Research and Spatial Analysis, and An Foras Feasa, the Institute for Research in Irish Historical and Cultural Traditions. The project will accommodate 350 students and 200 academic staff and researchers and is slated for completion in June of 2010. The building will include interdisciplinary research space and a 350-seat lecture hall.

Babcock University will break ground in June of 2009 on the $250 million College of Health and Medical Sciences in Ilisan Remo, Nigeria. The facility will house the schools of Medicine, Public and Allied Health, Pharmacy, Dentistry, and Nursing. The project will include a biomedical research center and a 750-bed teaching hospital.

Easton College is planning to build the £9 million Jubilee3 academic facility in Norwich, U.K. Part of a £21 million campus improvement plan, the instructional building will feature a green roof, natural ventilation, ground source heating, and a wall constructed entirely of glazing. The facility will provide a living laboratory for the college’s degree program in sustainable engineering. Jubilee3 will house two labs, classrooms, flexible learning space, a 100-seat lecture hall, and a café. Occupancy is expected in summer of 2010.

Florida Atlantic University will initiate construction in spring of 2010 on the Harbor Branch Research Laboratory II in St. Lucie, Fla. Designed by PGAL with RFD (Research Facilities Design) as laboratory design consultant, the 40,000-gsf project will house research labs, lab support, and offices. The facility will provide 16,500-nsf of state-of-the-art laboratory space and will be built to meet LEED Silver sustainable design criteria.

Texas A&M University will begin construction on a new campus in Killeen in fall of 2010. Sited on 672 acres, Texas A&M University-Central Texas will be built on land transferred from the U.S. Army. Completion of the first 150,000-sf classroom and office building is slated for late 2011. The project will enable Tarleton State University to become part of the A&M system. Tarleton State University will change its name to Texas A&M University-Central Texas and will issue $25 million in bonds to fund construction of the new campus.

Imperial College London, in partnership with Imperial College Healthcare NHS, broke ground on a £99 million biomedical research facility in April of 2009. Slated for completion in late 2011, the six-story building will be part of the planned Academic Health Science Center in London. Housing 450 researchers, the facility will provide laboratories for translational research in cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes, and obesity.

The University of Toledo is building the $15.4 million Savage & Associates Complex for Business Learning and Engagement in Toledo, Ohio. Designed to meet LEED sustainable design standards, the 54,000-sf facility will feature a green roof that can be used as an outdoor teaching space. With wireless Internet access throughout, the complex will house ten technology-rich classrooms, five breakout rooms with video conferencing, five action learning labs, six to eight conference rooms, a 40-seat boardroom, student organization space, and offices.

The University of Texas Dallas is engaged in over $130 million in campus construction. The projects include:

South Dakota State University is building the $51 million Avera Health and Science Center in Brookings, S.D. Created in partnership with Avera Health, the 144,000-sf facility is comprised of 96,000-sf of new construction and 48,000-sf of renovated space. Housing the College of Pharmacy and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the center will provide classrooms, teaching and research laboratories, and faculty offices. Construction began on the Avera Health and Science Center in June of 2008. The facility will open in fall of 2010.

Wayne State University's College of Engineering opened the $28 million Marvin I. Danto Engineering Development Center (EDC) in Detroit in April of 2009. The 82,500-sf facility provides research, development, and engineering facilities to support discoveries in alternative energy, nanotechnology, biotechnology, smart sensors, and advanced propulsion. Designed to foster industry partnerships, the three-story multidisciplinary facility features modular labs and group research areas. LEED Silver certification will be sought for the project.

The University of British Columbia will begin construction in mid-2010 on the $75 million Earth Systems Science Building in Vancouver. Funded by $37.5 million from the Government of British Columbia, the 14,570-sm facility will house technology-rich teaching and research labs, classrooms, lecture halls, seminar rooms, and a museum.

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.