Higher Education

The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography is building the Marine and Coastal Science Research and Instructional Center (MCSRIC) on Skidaway Island, Ga. The project broke ground in December of 2007 and will house 11,000-sf of research laboratories, space for visiting scientists, and instructional space for University System of Georgia marine science students. LEED certification for sustainable design will be sought for the facility, which is slated for completion in spring of 2009.

The University of Toronto at Mississauga will break ground in fall of 2008 on the four-story New Medical Academy Building. Two-thirds of the facility will house instructional and administrative space with one-third housing research labs and faculty offices. The $36 million health sciences complex will include classrooms and laboratories for chemistry, forensics, psychology, molecular biology, and biomedical research. The project manager is PMX Inc. Completion is slated for August of 2010.

North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is building the $72 million Randall B. Terry Jr. Companion Animal Medical Center in Raleigh. Housing small animal services including cardiology, internal medicine, neurology, emergency, critical care, surgery, and oncology, the 115,000-sf center will accommodate up to 25,000 cases a year.

The University of Nebraska Medical Center opened the $52.7 million Sorrell Center for Health Science Education in Omaha in June of 2008. The four-story, 134,183-sf facility consolidates the medical school’s education programs and includes four 80-seat classrooms, two 220-seat auditoriums, 16 simulation training suites, a clinical skills center, offices, and conference rooms.

The University of Minnesota opened the Medical Devices Center at the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis on June 24, 2008. The $400,000 technology-rich facility will enable researchers to design, prototype, and test new medical devices. Housing a computer-aided precision design center, a fabrication facility, and a 3D surgical imaging suite, the Medical Devices Center is part of the University of Minnesota's Institute for Engineering in Medicine (IEM). The Institute will expand to a total of 50,000-sf of research and office space on three floors by 2011.

The Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory has selected M+W Zander to design its new nanotechnology center on the campus of the University of Minho in Braga, Portugal. The 230,000-sf project will feature Class 100 and 1000 cleanrooms and central characterization suites, including electron and scanning probe microscopy. The first phase of the project includes a nanotechnology research building and accommodations for visiting scientists. The second phase is comprised of a business incubator and a nanotechnology interpretive center.

The University of Central Florida College of Medicine initiated construction on a 168,000-sf instructional facility in Orlando in June of 2008. Housing classrooms, anatomy and simulation labs, and a medical library, the project is slated for completion in March of 2010. The building is sited adjacent to the 198,000-sf Burnett Biomedical Sciences building currently under construction. The Burnett Building, which will house research laboratories and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Institute, is expected to reach completion by May of 2009.

The University of Idaho’s Center for Advanced Energy Studies in Idaho Falls is slated for completion in August of 2008. The $19 million, 55,000-sf project is a public-private energy research and education facility and is affiliated with Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

Barnard Environmental Studies Magnet School, one of several New Haven public schools being constructed by program manager Gilbane Building Company, is the first school to earn Gold certification in the LEED New Construction Rating System from the U.S. Green Building Council. The facility, designed by Roberta Washington Architects, received a $43 million transformation through the City’s $1.5 billion program. It serves some 600 students in grades pre-K through 8.

Georgia Tech Research Institute initiated the second phase of construction at its Food Processing Technology Building in Atlanta in summer of 2008. The $3 million project will add 10,000-sf of laboratory, office, and R&D space to the existing $8 million, 35,000-square-foot facility.

Nicolaus Copernicus University has selected engineering consultants PM Group of Ireland to design its €8 million quantum physics research center in Torun, Poland. The 2,000-sm facility will include five technology-rich laboratories and is slated for completion by year-end 2010. The project will support quantum optics research with the goal of eliminating current obstacles to the creation of a quantum computer.

Ocean County College initiated construction in June of 2008 on a $12 million social science center in Toms River, N.J.  Built to meet LEED sustainable design criteria, the 30,000-sf academic building will include classrooms, faculty offices, computer labs, and a conference room. The project team is comprised of DMR Architects, KS Engineers, and consulting engineers French & Parrello. Completion is slated for September of 2009.

Utah State University dedicated its $13 million engineering laboratory building in Logan, Utah, in June of 2008. Housing research and laboratory space for the College of Engineering, the three-story, 38,000-sf facility will feature modular bays for undergraduate and graduate research.

The University of Memphis broke ground on a $26 million residence, classroom and office facility in Memphis, Tenn., on June 19 of 2008. Slated for completion by March of 2010, the 127,000-sf project will accommodate 496 students in “living-learning” neighborhoods of between 18 and 22 individuals. LEED Silver certification for sustainable design will be sought for the facility. The project team includes Atkins Buchner Price Architects, Habiterra Architects, and general contractor Flintco, Inc.

Wright State University broke ground on a $9 million renovation of the science laboratories at its Lake Campus in Celina, Ohio, on June 18, 2008. The project will add a total of 27,860-sf to the existing facility with a new science wing housing technology-rich laboratories and a multipurpose center. The general contractor is Brumbaugh Construction of Arcanum, Ohio.