Higher Education

The University of Arkansas dedicated the $30 million J. B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. Center for Academic Excellence in Fayetteville, Ark. in September of 2007. The five story, 110,000-sf facility will accommodate the College of Engineering, the Sam M. Walton College of Business, and the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Featuring leading edge technology and efficient, flexible laboratories, the center includes wired and wireless high performance network access.

The University of Virginia is constructing the 85,000-sf Advanced Research and Technology (ART) building in Charlottesville. Sited in the Fontaine Research Park, the four story facility is comprised of three floors above grade and an underground basement. It will contain wet and dry lab space, a vivarium, two MRI rooms and one small animal MRI room, environmental rooms, office space, and conference areas. The 22-month project is slated for completion in March of 2008.

Construction on the David Murdock Core Lab Building at the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) in Kannapolis is slated for completion in late 2007. The $200-million, 311,000-sf facility will house approximately $90 million in equipment including a 900 megahertz NMR, an 800 megahertz NMR, and a 700 megahertz NMR. The facility will be managed by Duke University and will include a genomics lab, an imaging facility with electron microscopes, and a GMP manufacturing facility for biologics and small molecules.

Cornell University is constructing the $162 million Weill Hall in Ithaca, N.Y. The 250,000-sf building, also known as the Life Sciences Technology Building, is slated for completion in early 2008. The research facility will be the centerpiece of Cornell's New Life Sciences Initiative (NLSI), an effort to promote the college’s progress in genomic-led research. The facility is expected to attain LEED Gold certification for sustainable design and construction.

University College Dublin’s School of Medicine has partnered with The Mater and St. Vincent's Healthcare Group to create Ireland’s first academic medical center. Dublin Academic Health Care opens in September 2007 and will contain over 1,400 beds. Accommodating approximately 100,000 patient visits annually, the partnership will increase access to specialists, improve patient care, and foster translational research.

The National Institutes of Health National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is creating six Regional Centers for Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance. Each center will receive $23 million per year for the next seven years to support influenza research. The participating institutions are Emory University School of Medicine, St.

Sanford University of South Dakota Medical Center is planning to construct the 18-story Sanford Research Park on 185 acres in Sioux Falls. The project, estimated at over $100 million, will house Sanford’s advanced research projects as well as biomedical tenants. Sanford is currently constructing a $52-million pediatric hospital and a $9-million addition to Sanford's cancer center which are slated for completion in early fall of 2007.

Franklin & Marshall College completed the Ann and Richard Barshinger Life Sciences and Philosophy Building in Lancaster, Pa., in August of 2007. The $49 million, 104,000-sf building houses classrooms, faculty and student research labs, teaching labs, faculty offices, a 125-seat lecture hall, a greenhouse, a commons room and garden, a vivarium, and a three-story atrium.

The University of Louisville is planning to expand its Health Science Center in downtown Louisville over the next 20 years. The $2.5 billion project will include 3.2 million-sf of construction including six combined lab and office buildings, research facilities, administration, and parking space. The project will be supported by $1.8 billion in public funds and $700 million from private industry and aims to incubate business and research development.

Michigan State University dedicated its $10 million Energy and Automotive Research Laboratories facility on August 24, 2007. The 29,000-sf building will accommodate research on engine efficiency, vehicle emission reductions, and alternate fuel and energy sources. The research facility includes a powertrain lab, two test engine cells, and a cold room for engine turnover testing in temperatures of 40 degrees below zero.

The University of Texas at El Paso will build a $60 million health sciences complex to replace its existing College of Health Sciences and School of Nursing. The project, to be located on or contiguous to the main UTEP campus, was approved by the UT System Board of Regents in late August of 2007. The facility will promote research, clinical, and training partnerships with Texas Tech University.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Amarillo is initiating three major construction projects totaling $33 million. Ground was broken in late summer of 2007 on the 48,000-sf, $18 million Coulter Research Building for biomedical and translational research. The School of Pharmacy will undergo an $8 million, 23,000-sf expansion to house administration, academic space, two 120-seat instructional classrooms, a 26-station instructional laboratory, and a patient simulation center for teaching and assessment. Construction will begin in early 2008.

The University of Chicago has appointed Laurence Hill as Associate Vice President for Research and for National Laboratories. The position was created due to a new University contract with Fermilab and will include responsibility for site office operations, University contract management, and board staffing for Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

Rose State College broke ground on August 16, 2007 on the $9.09 million health sciences center in Midwest City, Okla. Designed by Benham Companies of Oklahoma City, the single story, 47,000-sf facility is slated for completion in late 2008. The project contractor is Atlas General Contractors of Bixby. The laboratory-rich building will accommodate the college’s seven health sciences programs and increased space for equipment and training. The facility will also house offices, computer labs, classrooms, and conference rooms.

Indiana University Bloomington began construction in summer of 2007 on the $51.7 million Multidisciplinary Science Building II project (MSB II). Designed by Flad & Associates of Madison, Wisc., the 65,000-asf (130,000-gsf) project will provide space for neuroscientists, biogeochemists, environmental scientists, and other researchers whose work crosses the boundaries separating scientific fields. The five-story facility is slated for completion in summer of 2009.