Higher Education

The University of Waterloo broke ground on the $160 million Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre (QNC) in June of 2008. Uniting research and engineering in quantum information technology and nanotechnology, the five-story facility will house the Institute for Quantum Computing, the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, and undergraduate nanotechnology engineering instruction. The 280,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will include faculty offices, two atria, teaching and research labs, seminar rooms, a 10,000-sf fabrication cleanroom, and a metrology suite.

Bristol University’s £11 million Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information is slated for completion in summer of 2008. Featuring laboratories with extremely low vibration, acoustic noise, and air movement, the £10.6 million, four-story project began construction in October of 2006. The project team includes architect Capita Percy Thomas, contractor Willmott Dixon, and project manager Capita Symonds.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has selected Milwaukee-based CG Schmidt as construction manager for the new $82 million South Campus Union. The project includes demolition of the existing structure and will begin in January of 2009. LEED Silver sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which will include recycling of construction waste, use of local building materials, energy-efficient building systems, and daylighting.

Westminster College broke ground on the 60,000-sf Meldrum Science Center in Salt Lake City in late spring of 2008. Housing flexible laboratories, the four-story Meldrum Science Center will seek LEED certification for sustainable design. The project team includes architectural firm of VCBO with Big D Construction as general contractor. The $25 million building will support interdisciplinary science and undergraduate research with integrated lecture laboratories and research facilities. Occupancy is slated for spring of 2010.

Oklahoma State University opened the OSU Multispectral Laboratories in Ponca City in early June of 2008. The 70,000-sf lab is owned by the University and was created in partnership with ConocoPhillips and the city of Ponca City. The $14 million facility is operated by Triton Scientific and will support the development of sensors and security technologies. The project represents the completion of the first phase of renovations to Research East, a building donated to OSU by ConocoPhillips.

The Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory is partnering with the University of Houston to create the Texas-NREL Large Blade Research and Test Facility (LBR&TF) in Ingleside, Texas. The facility will be designed, built, and operated by the University of Houston with operational support including $2 million in equipment from NREL. Completion is slated for 2010. The project will provide complete testing of wind turbine blades up to 210 feet long.

Yale University will open the Jeffrey Loria Center for the History of Art in New Haven, Conn., in August of 2008. The 87,000-sf building houses lecture halls, classrooms, gathering spaces, faculty offices, and a café. The facility is part of a newly renovated and expanded complex that includes the restored Art & Architecture building, to be rededicated as Paul Rudolph Hall in November of 2008, and the Robert B. Haas Family Arts Library.

The University of Iowa initiated construction in late spring of 2008 on a $47.7 million building for the College of Public Health in Iowa City. Housing academic and administrative space, the 130,000-gsf facility will consolidate programs currently dispersed in 15 campus locations. Comprised of two wings with five levels each, the project will include an auditorium, classrooms, teaching labs, and faculty offices. LEED Silver certification will be sought for the project, which will include a reflective roof, abundant natural light, permeable paving, and native plants.

The University of Kentucky is constructing the 285,000-gsf Biological/Pharmaceutical Complex in Lexington. The building will house labs, lecture halls, classrooms, offices, and core labs for the College of Pharmacy. Featuring a five-story atrium, the facility is designed around laboratory neighborhoods to promote interaction and collaboration. The design team includes EOP Architects of Lexington as architect of record and Ellenzweig of Cambridge, Ma., as design architect and laboratory planner. Completion is expected by the end of 2009.

The State of New York has selected Swanke Hayden Connell Architects (SHCA) in conjunction with Cameron Engineering to design the new $190 million New York State Center of Innovation and Excellence in Homeland Security in Bethpage, N.Y.  The center will foster the development, evaluation, and deployment of national and state security solutions through applied science.

The University of California, Irvine will initiate construction in fall of 2008 on the $60.5 million Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center. Funded by an award of $27.2 million in May of 2008 from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the 61,575-sf facility will house up to 26 researchers and is slated for completion in July of 2010. The three-story building will include a core stem cell lab, cell culture facilities, imaging, clinical space, and biotechnology training facilities.

Suffolk New College celebrated the topping out of its £69 million Ipswich campus in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2008. The 22,000-sm instructional complex will contain lecture halls and classrooms in two blocks constructed around a central triangular atrium. Occupancy is expected in September of 2009. The project team includes architect Sheppard Robson and general contractor Morgan Ashurst.

Atlantic Veterinary College of the University of Prince Edward Island is partnering with the province of New Brunswick to construct a $23.6 million aquatic animal health science laboratory in St. George, NB, Canada. Meeting national standards for fish health testing, the facility will support aquaculture research for the regions’ fishery industries. Housing necropsy, bacteriology, virology, and sample processing facilities, the 5,700-sf laboratory will be built by Castle Rock Construction Services of Saint John.

The University of New Mexico is partnering with the city of Rio Rancho and developer Legacy Hospital Partners to construct a full service teaching hospital in Rio Rancho, N.M. The 75-bed facility will support medical education and nursing programs and is designed for ease of expansion to a total of 125 beds. Housing a 24-hour emergency room, cancer center, critical care unit, intensive care unit, and medical offices, the project will be built with sustainable design technologies. The project cost is estimated at between $100 million and $150 million.

Tufts University has selected BioRealty Inc. of Irvine, Calif., to develop the Grafton Science Park in Grafton, Ma. The planned 702,000-sf research park will house laboratory, office, and manufacturing space. The Grafton Science Park is the home of Tuft’s 40,000-sf Regional Biocontainment Laboratory which is slated for completion in January of 2009.