Higher Education

California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) is planning to construct the Center for Science and Mathematics in San Luis Obispo. Designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects of Los Angeles with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the project will provide classroom and science laboratory space for the College of Science and Mathematics in an approximately 86,349 to 102,233 assignable-square-foot building. The estimated construction cost is between $69,365,000 and $83,198,000.

The University of Minnesota opened the $21.7 million Education Sciences Building in Minneapolis on Oct. 5, 2007. The renovated 69,808-sf facility formerly housed the Mineral Resources Research Center. Construction began on the project in spring of 2005. Housing laboratory, office, and meeting space for the College of Education and Human Development, the renovation included the addition of infill floors and replacement of all mechanical, electrical, circulation and infrastructure equipment.

Colorado State University celebrated the opening of its $30 million Regional Biocontainment Laboratory on October 2, 2007. Sited on the Foothills Campus in Fort Collins, the 38,000-sf aerosol challenge facility will house mice for infectious disease and potential bioterror agent research. The BSL-3 laboratory features a $600,000 mass spectrometer, autoclaves, seven-layer epoxy floors, and rigorous HEPA air filtration. The project was built by a joint venture of Heath Construction with Hensel Phelps Construction.

The University of Calgary opened the $28.8 million Child Development Centre (CDC) in Calgary, Alberta, in October of 2007. The 128,000-sf facility is four stories tall with a parking garage and houses offices, research laboratories, and child care space. Construction began on the CDC in October of 2005. The University hopes to attain a LEED Platinum certification for the facility as part of an initiative for all new buildings to target a Platinum sustainable design level.

Peking University Health Science Center, located in Beijing, China, entered into a strategic partnership with Duke Medicine in September of 2007. Enabling the integration of healthcare delivery, the seven-year agreement will bring Duke University administrators, faculty, and researchers to Beijing to develop concepts for systems and services integration to enhance operational efficiency.

Henry Ford Hospital opened the $5 million Center for Simulation, Education and Research in Detroit in early fall of 2007. The 12,000-sf facility houses two simulation operating theaters (including a $1.6 million robot system), six clinical rooms, a 30-station minimally invasive procedure lab, and two classrooms. The mannequin and computer-rich spaces are reconfigurable for training in surgery, labor and delivery, intensive care, and emergency procedures.

Wells College will dedicate the 45,000-sf Ann Wilder Stratton ’46 Hall in Aurora, N.Y. on September 29, 2007. The flexible three-level science facility will accommodate interdisciplinary teaching and research, faculty offices, classrooms, laboratories, a 92-seat lecture hall, and a two-story atrium. The $19 million project was designed by HOLT Architects of Ithaca with LeCesse Construction Company of Rochester as general contractor.

The University of California, Los Angeles’ Biomedical Sciences Research Building and Orthopaedic Hospital Research Center was dedicated on Semptember 27, 2007. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, the facility accommodates research in stem cells, microbiology, orthopaedic medicine, immunology, biological chemistry, molecular, cell and developmental biology, and AIDS research. The 230,000-sf technology-rich center is sited on the UCLA campus and will house over 450 researchers in open, flexible laboratories.

Colorado State University has selected Heath Construction to build the $6.75 million third phase of Colorado State University's Bioenvironmental Research Building. The 21,700-sf, three-story addition to the existing Bioenvironmental Research Building is scheduled for completion in late 2008. The expansion will house research programs on infectious diseases and an array of mechanical and technical systems.

The University of California, Berkeley dedicated the $162.3-million Stanley Hall on Sept. 28, 2007. The 285,000-gsf biophysical research facility houses instructional spaces, 33 wet labs, 8 computational suites, a 900 megahertz NMR, and a mass spectrometry suite.

The Johns Hopkins University has received a $100-million Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) from the National Center for Research Resources to establish The Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR). The five-year award will support patient-centered biomedical research throughout The Johns Hopkins University, including the schools of Medicine, Engineering, Nursing and Public Health.

George Mason University broke ground on Sept. 25, 2007 on its Biomedical Research Laboratory on the Prince William campus in Manassas, Va. The $42 million facility is one of 13 Regional Biocontainment Laboratories (RBL) and was funded in part by a $25 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The 53,000-sf facility will house BSL-3 laboratories for biological threat and infectious disease research and will be operated by the National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases (NCBID) at George Mason University.

The University of Pittsburgh opened the $28 million Center for Vaccine Research (CVR) in late September of 2007. Located on the eighth and ninth floors of the 330,000-sf Biomedical Science Tower 3, the CVR is comprised of two facilities, the NIAID-funded Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL) and the Vaccine Research Laboratory (VRL). The 27,300-sf RBL contains BSL-3 laboratories for infectious disease research.

Colorado State University officially broke ground on its new Computer Science building Fort Collins. on Sept. 21, 2007. The four story, 45,000-sf facility will house laboratories for information technology and computer science research. The three laboratories on the ground floor include a student personal computer lab, a Linux lab, and a teaching lab. The facility was designed by Anderson Mason Dale. Project cost including equipment and furniture is $14 million. Occupancy is slated for fall of 2008.

The University of Tennessee initiated construction on the $37.5 million Min Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building in Knoxville in fall of 2007. The 155,000-sf state-of-the-art facility will house laboratories, classrooms, a cleanroom, and a 2,500-sf auditorium. Ground was broken on the project in May of 2007 and completion is slated for 2009. The facility was designed by Bullock, Smith & Partners with Lindsay and Maples Architects.