Higher Education

The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSC) at Houston is constructing three new projects. The planned $62-million Biomedical Research and Education center will accommodate adult stem cell research and teaching with laboratories, support spaces, multipurpose conference rooms, and office space. The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston will replace its current six-story facility with a new building estimated to cost $9 million. Both projects will be located in the 100-acre UT Research Park jointly developed by UTHSC and the University of Texas M.D.

Southern Methodist University opened its new $16 million Embrey Engineering Building in Dallas for the fall semester of 2006. Through sustainable design technologies, the three-story facility will save approximately $70,000 annually in energy costs and will seek LEED® Gold level certification. The cost of meeting the LEED® criteria added three percent to the project's construction cost. Sustainable design features of the engineering facility include: 

UC Berkeley will open the $162-million Stanley Hall in January of 2007. The 285,000-sf biosciences and bioengineering facility will house approximately 40 research labs, administrative and bioengineering department offices, and up to 10 core facilities. One of these core facilities, the 11,000-sf Biomolecular Nanotechnology Center, will manufacture chips for biochemical and medical applications. Stanley Hall will serve over 30 faculty and over 100 graduate students and is designed to foster multi-disciplinary collaboration.

Hofstra University has completed its new $16-million academic and performing arts facility on its South Campus in Hempstead, New York. The 86,000-sf, four-story building provides performance space for music, dance, and drama, three floors of faculty offices, a 225-seat black box theater, and soundproofed orchestra and music rehearsal spaces. The facility was designed by architect Marty Kapell of Manhattan and built by contractor E.W. Howell of Woodbury.

Texas Southern University has completed its new 165,000-sf Science Center. The four-story, $30-million facility features a full-height atrium and biology research and teaching labs for faculty and graduate students. The center also houses space for chemistry, mathematics, the Environmental Toxicology Ph.D. Program, and the NASA Research Center for Biotechnology and Environmental Health. Texas Southern is also constructing a $15-million, 82,000-sf Public Affairs, Liberal Arts, and Behavioral Sciences building.

Wayne State University has completed the $20-million renovation of the Gordon Scott Hall of Basic Sciences in Detroit, Mich. As the building is the main facility for the School of Medicine's teaching, research, and administrative functions, the project included the renovation of approximately 40,000 sf of space on the building's third floor, converting it to a research laboratory, specialized lab support, and office and classroom spaces for the Center for Molecular Medicine & Genetics and the Department of Pharmacology.

The University of Arizona expanded its Tucson campus with the completion of three new research and laboratory facilities in 2006. All three were designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership of Portland, Ore. The $46.1-million, 85,000-sf Chemistry Building will consolidate chemistry teaching and research programs and is slated for completion in late spring of 2006. The project construction manager is Hensel Phelps Construction Co. The $65.7-million Thomas W.

The Hormel Institute, an independent research unit of the University of Minnesota, broke ground in August 2006 on a $20-million expansion of its Austin, Minn., facilities.

Georgia Tech broke ground on the Marcus Nanotechnology Building in Atlanta in August of 2006. With 20,000-sf of nanotechnology physical science and engineering space next to 10,000-sf of biomedical and biological nanotechnology space, the facility will accommodate scientists from the university system as well as the private sector. Completion is slated for summer of 2008.

The State University of New York (SUNY) has selected The S/L/A/M Collaborative to design three new science projects. At SUNY Buffalo, the 145,000-sf Acheson Hall will be renovated to provide a new home for the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences on the South Campus. The former chemistry building will be completely gutted and renovated to provide new classroom and biotech research space in a LEED® certified facility.

The University of Arizona has dedicated its new $48-million BIO5 Institute on its Tucson campus. Gilbane Building Company was construction manager for the 180,000-sf facility specifically designed for cross-disciplinary teams in the field of molecular life science. Gilbane's western regional office oversaw the project. The BIO5 Institute shares a block-wide development with the Medical Research Building, both designed by the Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership.

The University of Kentucky (UK) has unveiled the design for the $450-million Albert B. Chandler Hospital. Slated for completion in 2010, the new one million-sf hospital will be built by Turner Construction Company in two phases to allow for a step-by-step replacement of the existing hospital.

The University of Michigan has opened its $40-million computer science and engineering building in Ann Arbor. Designed by Diamond + Schmidt Architects of Toronto, the 100,000-sf facility houses research laboratories, two classroom auditoriums, and two computer-assisted engineering network laboratories. Featuring wireless Internet in the entire structure, the building includes a four-story staircase in a natural light-enriched atrium plus a cafe.

West Chester University has partnered with Honeywell Building Solutions SES in a 15-year, $18.7-million building modernization and energy savings project for the school's 60-building, 402-acre Pennsylvania campus. The contract includes infrastructure upgrades such as HVAC, lighting, energy and water conservation technologies, and a centralized control system for optimal energy management. The energy savings, guaranteed by Honeywell under a performance contract, are estimated at $1.7 million annually over 15 years.

The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) is building the $85-million Natural Science and Engineering Laboratory (NS&E). Slated for completion by year-end 2006, the facility is being funded by a joint private/public effort with the University of Texas System, the Texas State government, and Texas Instruments. The new open-plan interdisciplinary laboratory will include a vivarium as well as inviting common areas intended to foster collaboration and interaction.