Higher Education

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.

The University of Nevada is building the 205,000-sf Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) facility at its Las Vegas campus. Construction of the $107-million, four-story facility began in August 2005 and is expected to reach completion in spring of 2008.

Ohio State University (OSU) is constructing the $151-million Biomedical Research Tower on its Columbus campus. The 400,000-sf, 14-story building will be the largest research facility on campus with 180,000 sf of laboratory space. Slated for completion in late fall of 2006, the tower will house labs for biomedical research, core labs for shared use, faculty and administrative offices, a 250-seat auditorium, seminar rooms, and a cafe.

The University of Puget Sound will dedicate Harned Hall, a $25-million science laboratory building, in Tacoma, Wa. on Sept. 29. 2006. The 51,000-sf facility is the anchor of the University's new $63-million science complex and was constructed to meet LEED™ Silver standards. Designed to foster interaction among faculty and students as well as collaboration between disciplines, the building includes laboratory spaces for biology, chemistry, environmental science, geology, and physics.

California State University, Bakersfield broke ground in July 2006 on a $19 million math and computer science building. Slated for completion by the winter 2008 school term, the three-story, 54,651-sf facility will house 70 faculty offices, 15 laboratories, and seven classrooms. The project team consists of designers STUDIOS Architecture of San Francisco and general contractor S.C. Anderson of Bakersfield.

The University of Texas Health Sciences Center has been allocated $60-million in tuition revenue bonds by the State of Texas. The funds will enable the expansion of the South Texas Research Facility, accommodating additional biomedical and counter-bioterrorism research.

The University of Texas at San Antonio was awarded $74-million in state tuition revenue bonds in July of 2006 to fund the construction of its new engineering building.

Johns Hopkins University is expanding operations at its Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. The engineering and R&D center will occupy a six-story, 243,000-sf facility that is under construction in the adjacent Montpelier Research Park. TC MidAtlantic Development, a subsidiary of Trammell Crow, is developing the six-story facility in partnership with Lovell America Inc. The project will break ground in late July of 2006 and reach completion by October of 2007.

Tsinghua University opened its $32.5-million (260 million yuan) Environmental Science and Engineering Department building in Beijing, China in summer of 2006. Designed by Italian architect Mario Cucinella, the facility features advanced energy-saving technologies including a sunshade with an intelligent control system that automatically adjusts its direction based on the sun's intensity and ceases operations when the building is unoccupied.

Valley College broke ground July 5, 2006 on the $46-million Allied Health and Science Center. Located in Valley Glen, Calif., the three-story, 98,000-sf facility will house state-of-the-art computer and teaching labs and classrooms for biology, chemistry, physics, nursing, anthropology, earth sciences, and respiratory therapy. The building will be constructed to sustainable design standards including rooftop photovoltaics, low-flow plumbing fixtures, drought-resistant landscaping, and recycled building materials.

The State of Maryland is constructing the new State Forensic Medical Center at the University of Maryland's BioPark in Baltimore. The 120,000-sf facility will house the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and will adhere to strict biosafety laboratory criteria. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene may occupy the remaining 26,000-sf in the six-story facility. The first level of the facility will accommodate loading and parking. The joint venture of Gaudreau Inc.

SUNY Upstate Medical University is planning to construct the $10-million Setnor Academic Building on its Syracuse Campus. The five-story, 46,000-sf facility will include conference rooms, faculty offices, six reconfigurable classrooms, and the Clinical Skills Teaching Center which features 22 exam rooms and closed-circuit monitoring. The designer of the project is Holt Architects PC of Ithaca, NY. Completion is expected in 2007.

The University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine is nearing completion of the $90-million Clinical Research Institute. Located at the Jackson Memorial campus in the city of Miami, the 15-story facility was designed by Perkins + Will to sustainable design criteria and vouched to be Miami's "greenest" building at present. Sustainable design features include a reflective roof, double-paned windows containing insulating gas, and under-floor air conditioning. The facility includes a 1,400-car garage and a large wellness center.

The 26,000-sf Natural Sciences Building at Mills College in Oakland, Calif., is slated for occupancy in 2007. Construction on the $17.2-million facility began in fall of 2005. The building will feature four new teaching laboratories, five new classrooms, centralized science faculty offices, and a student computer room. The addition is the first facility at Mills to meet LEED™ sustainable building criteria and features reduced energy and water consumption.