Higher Education

Valparaiso University will dedicate the $74 million Harre Union in January of 2009 in Valparaiso, Ind. The facility is nearly four times the size of the University’s existing student union and is the largest construction project in the institution’s history. Housing the University Book Center, the Career Center, and the Office of Multicultural Programs, the project includes the main student dining room, ballroom, café, lounges, and offices for student organizations. Construction of Harre Union began in fall of 2006.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s new campus in Cloverdale, BC, Canada, attained LEED Gold sustainable design certification in December of 2008. Designed by Bunting Coady Architects of Vancouver, the 185,139-sf facility houses 27 workshops and 21 classrooms for applied training programs and instruction in trades and technology. The $42.3 million project features a spacious atrium and was built by Ledcor.

Kettering University will begin construction in 2009 on the LEED-certified Science and Technology Incubator in Flint, Mich. Designed by SHW Group, the 9,000-sf research and office facility is slated for completion by year-end 2009. The project includes a business center, a technology-rich conference room, café, and reception. Wet and dry research laboratories, each with a footprint 700 sf, can be easily reconfigured or expanded.

DePaul University will open the $40 million Monsignor Andrew J. McGowan Science Building in January of 2009. Located on the University’s Lincoln Park campus in Chicago, the four-story, 129,000-sf facility features 23 research labs, eight teaching labs, five tiered classrooms, and rooftop greenhouses. The sustainably-designed building houses the department of chemistry as well as classes in biology and environmental science.

The University of Queensland is relocating the School of Veterinary Science from Brisbane to Gatton, Australia. Housing teaching and research facilities, the $100 million project is slated for completion in late 2009. The $33 million Centre for Advanced Animal Science, funded by the Queensland Government, is also under construction in Gatton.

Yale University’s new BSL-3 laboratory will open in early 2009. Located on the ninth floor of the School of Public Health building in New Haven, Conn., the facility will support animal and non-animal research on infectious diseases including West Nile Virus, SARS, Yellow Fever, and anthrax. The laboratory features a single-pass airflow system, waterproof ceilings, and completely sealed penetrations.

Colorado State University began building the $53 million Research Innovation Center on its Foothills campus in Fort Collins in December of 2008. Slated for completion in April of 2010, the three-story, 72,000-sf center will be sited in the Judson Harper Research Complex and will house offices, laboratories, and a biotechnology business incubator.

The University of Kentucky began construction on an $18.6 million research facility for the College of Engineering in downtown Lexington in September of 2008. Part of the University’s Digital Village quadrangle, the Marksbury Building will support research in computer visualization, computer science, and electrical and computer engineering. Completion is slated for early 2011.

Florida State University is planning to build the Energy and Sustainability Center in Harmony, Fla. The research facility will be sited in the 100-acre Florida Energy Research Park in the green-certified Harmony development, which will include sustainable commercial, residential, and retail facilities. Created in partnership with Starwood Energy Group and Harmony Development Company, FSU's Energy and Sustainability Center will support research and training in solar, wind, hydrogen, and biomass technologies.

Natural Resources Canada broke ground on the new CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory in Hamilton, Ontario, in December of 2008. Located in the McMaster Innovation Park, the LEED-certified facility will accommodate research and development in structural metals and alloys, materials design, pilot-scale processing, and performance evaluation. CANMET-MTL is a Government of Canada laboratory previously located in Ottawa. The new facility, created in partnership with McMaster University, will open in 2010.

Georgia State University is building the $150 million Parker H. Petit Science Teaching Laboratory in Atlanta. Designed Heery International, the 350,000-sf facility will house multidisciplinary research and instruction space for biology, chemistry, neuroscience, and the College of Health and Human Services. Completion is slated for spring of 2010.

Cooper University Hospital opened the first five floors of the $220 million Pavilion in December of 2008. Located in Camden, N.J., the 10-story building features 12 surgical suites, 33 private inpatient rooms, a 30-bed intensive care unit, a healing garden, and a three-story atrium. The top five floors will be finished as needed. The project was designed by Ewing Cole.

The University of Oklahoma Cancer Institute is slated for completion in summer of 2009. The $210 million, 220,000-sf National Cancer Institute is located at Oklahoma Health Center in Oklahoma City. Construction began on the seven-story project in early 2008.

The University of Edinburgh broke ground on a £58 million biomedical research center in December of 2008. Located on the University’s Easter Bush campus in Roslin, U.K., the project will house laboratories and offices for research in genetics, developmental biology, neuroscience, immunology, infectious diseases, and animal sciences. The facility is slated for completion in 2011 and will be complemented by a new veterinary teaching building and small animal hospital. The project architect is CUH2A.

Indiana State University is engaged in a $30 million renovation of the 70-year-old University Hall on its Terre Haute campus. The sustainably designed project features the use of recycled steel, natural lighting, thermal pane windows, fin coil tubing heaters, and an HVAC system with individual room controls. The renovation is expected to save the University $1 million annually in energy costs. Completion is slated for fall of 2009.