Higher Education

The California Academy of Sciences opened its new 410,000-sf museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park in September of 2008. Designed by Renzo Piano, the sustainably-designed facility is comprised of 12 separate buildings and includes the Steinhart Aquarium, the Morrison planetarium, a four-story rainforest, and a natural history museum. The project features a $488 million green roof, non-toxic insulation, a passive heating and cooling system, a recycled steel structure, and photovoltaic electricity.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County will begin construction in July of 2010 on the Performing Arts and Humanities Facility (PAHF) in Baltimore. The facility will house the Office of Arts and Culture and the departments of Dance, English, Music, Philosophy, Ancient Studies, and Theater. The project will feature a 400-seat concert hall, a 300-seat theater, a recital hall, a black box theater, dance and recording studios, archeology labs, and a writing lab. The Dresher Center for the Humanities will also be headquartered in the building.

Texas A&M University will begin construction in November of 2008 on a $104 million emerging technologies engineering building in College Station, Texas. The facility will house the departments of biomedical engineering and industrial and systems engineering as well as interdisciplinary research space. Housing 112 engineering faculty members, the project will support the creation of advanced medical devices and therapeutics. Construction is expected to reach completion in June of 2011.

The University of British Columbia broke ground on three facilities at its Okanagan campus in Kelowna in September of 2008. The $33.7 million, 4,266-sm Health Sciences Centre will house medical education classrooms, lecture halls, laboratories, and faculty offices. Completion is slated for 2011. The $42.2, 8,940-sm Arts and Sciences 2 Building will house a large lecture hall, classrooms, undergraduate teaching labs, research labs, academic offices, and support.

South Dakota State University opened the $12.1 million Wellness Center in Brookings in September of 2008. The facility was designed by Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative of Denver with EAPC Architects Engineers of Fargo as architect of record. The general contractor was Sunkota Construction of Sioux Falls. The 74,000-sf building features health and fitness facilities as well as the Student Health Clinic and Counseling Services, a pharmacy, and a chiropractic clinic.

The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine dedicated the $302 million Ruth and Raymond Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine in Philadelphia on October 2, 2008. The 500,000-sf outpatient facility houses 12 clinical specialties with integrated diagnosis, testing, and treatment services. Designed by a joint venture of Perkins Eastman and Rafael Viñoly Architects, the Perelman Center houses 225 exam rooms, 84 private chemotherapy infusion bays, and outpatient surgery. LEED certification will be sought for the facility.

Sam Houston State University broke ground on the $38.5 million Performing Arts Center in Huntsville, Texas, on October 2, 2008. The 91,976-sf facility will feature an 800-seat concert hall, a 150-seat recital hall, an outdoor performance area, and practice and rehearsal rooms. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2010. The facility was designed by Watkins, Hamilton, Ross Architects of Houston and is being built by SpawGlass Construction, also of Houston.

Washington University dedicated the Harry and Susan Seigle Hall in St. Louis on September 25, 2008. The four-story, 145,736-sf building is located on the University’s Danforth Campus and houses 139 offices, 15 classrooms, and conference rooms. The interdisciplinary facility provides teaching, research, and meeting space for the School of Law and the departments of Economics, Education, and Political Science. The project was designed by Kallman McKinnell & Wood of Boston and constructed by Tarlton Corp. of St. Louis.

Purdue University dedicated the $25 million Martin C. Jischke Biomedical Engineering Building in West Lafayette, Ind., on September 30, 2008. Created in partnership with the state of Indiana, the building houses the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. The four-story facility features biomedical R&D laboratories and instructional facilities. Designed to support industry partnerships with medical device and biotechnology companies, the 91,000-sf interdisciplinary project includes core labs, teaching labs, faculty offices, classrooms, and meeting space.

Tsinghua University is partnering with semiconductor manufacturer Rohm Co. to build the Tsinghua-Rohm Electronic Engineering Hall in Beijing, China. Designed to support collaborative development of electronic devices, the ¥2 billion R&D facility is slated for completion in April of 2011. The project will house an international exchange center for academic-industry partnerships, cleanrooms, shared research space, and a 300-seat auditorium.

Richard Stockton College opened its new $40 million dormitory complex in Pomona, N.J., in September of 2008. Comprised of six three-story buildings, the 165,000-sf project was designed by RMJM Hillier and can accommodate a total of 390 students. The general contractor was Skanska USA Building. Each 27,500-sf building includes sustainable design features such energy efficient lighting, rainwater retention structures, geothermal well heating and cooling, and low-VOC interior finishes.

The University of Colorado Denver opened the $204 million Research 2 (R2) laboratory in Aurora in September of 2008. The 507,000-gsf facility is located on the Anschutz Medical Campus and houses flexible research laboratories and offices. Construction was completed in June of 2008. The 12-story building supports clinical and basic science research with laboratory configurations ranging from wet bench to instrument-oriented facilities. A full complement of research support spaces and core labs are designed to foster interaction and communication.

St. Thomas University opened its $10.3 million undergraduate science facility in Miami Garden, Fla., in September of 2008. The 26,000-sf life science building provides 14 research labs, eight teaching labs, and classrooms.

Florida State University dedicated the $55.8 million James E. King Jr. Life Sciences Teaching & Research Center in Tallahassee on September 12, 2008. The 181,000-sf facility was built by LLT Building Corp. and is expected to attain LEED sustainable design certification. Housing teaching and research space for FSU's Department of Biological Science, the project was designed by Elliott Marshall Innes of Tallahassee with Lord, Aeck & Sargent as architect of record.

Towson University is building a new College of Liberal Arts complex in Towson, Md. The academic facility will house technology-rich classrooms, lecture halls, seminar rooms, faculty offices, and basement space. The construction manager is The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company. The first phase of the project will include 110,000 sf and is slated for completion by fall of 2009. The second phase will add another 250,000 sf and will reach completion in summer of 2011. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project.