Groundbreaking on the new 85,000-sf Arizona Biomedical Collaborative building (ABC) on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus was celebrated on March 16, 2006. Housing Arizona State University's Department of Biomedical Informatics and the University of Arizona's College of Medicine wet lab space for diabetes, cancer, and neurological research, the facility is the first public building dedicated to research in Phoenix.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has initiated the second phase of construction on its 331,000-sf Genetic Medicine Building (GMB). The $120-million multidisciplinary research facility, comprised of seven stories plus a mechanical penthouse, has a deep footprint of approximately 40,000 sf of contiguous space. The GMB is designed around a central atrium that brings light into the entire building, even into the enclosed labs and offices through punched-out windows and open doors.
Temple University's School of Pharmacy opened a 700-sf drug manufacturing facility in February of 2006. Located on the fourth floor of the pharmacy school building in north Philadelphia, the facility adheres to FDA cGMP requirements and features a sophisticated air-filtration system, a non-porous ceiling, and seamless flooring. The plant will manufacture capsules and tablets used in phase-I and phase-II clinical trials in batches of between 1,000 and 100,000 units.
Nova Southeastern University (NSU) will construct a 208,000-sf research facility on its Fort Lauderdale, Fla., campus. Slated for completion in late 2008 to mid-2009, the six-story building will house wet labs for use by the programs of dentistry, osteopathic medicine, oceanography, and pharmacology. The building, which will feature an enhanced communications infrastructure connected to other Florida universities, will accommodate NSU's information technology department. The U.S.
Stanford University School of Medicine has selected NBBJ of San Francisco to design the new $128-million Learning and Knowledge Center in Palo Alto, Calif. The project will be constructed on the site of the existing Fairchild Auditorium and will include renovations to the Lane and Always buildings. The 120,000-sf center will break ground in 2007 with completion expected in 2009.
The University of Washington is nearing completion on construction of the new William H. Foege Building in Seattle. Providing a central home for the Department of Bioengineering, the 260,000-sf, $150-million facility broke ground in 2001.
Forsyth Technical Community College opened its new $11.1-million technology and student services building on March 2, 2006. The five-story, 87,155-sf building is the largest on campus and houses 29 classrooms and labs, 60 faculty and staff offices, three lecture halls, four biology labs, a training room, a bookstore, and the student government association office. The project team included architectural firm Ersoy & Associates of Winston-Salem and contractor JM Thompson Construction of Raleigh, N.C.
Northern Essex Community College has completed its new Technology Center in Haverhill, Mass. The state-of-the-art education and training facility, sited in the Greater Merrimack Valley Community, was designed by Miller Dyer Spears. The school's first new building in over 30 years, the $6.9-million, 30,000-sf facility is comprised of a two-story classroom wing, a large multipurpose room, and a grand foyer.
Cal State Fullerton has completed its new $48.5-million, 109,000-sf Performing Arts Center. Housing rehearsal, laboratory, studio and technical space for theater, dance, music, and musical theater, the facility includes the 800-seat Vaughncille Joseph Meng Concert Hall, which features customized acoustics with fabric banners, Roman shades, and a circular 1,500-sf acoustical canopy that is raised or lowered to suit each performance. The center also includes the black box Millie & Dale Hallberg Theatre and the thrust-style James D. Young Theatre.
Emory University has selected Boston-based Payette to conduct a feasibility study encompassing a precinct master plan for a replacement medical center for Emory University Hospital, Wesley Woods Hospital, and the Emory Clinic. The project, known as the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, allows for new research facilities to be adjacent to the diagnosis and treatment chassis connecting bench to bed. The first phase of implementation is estimated to be a 600,000-gsf multidisciplinary outpatient clinic and translational research building.
Johns Hopkins University is constructing a new 80,000-sf computer sciences building on its Homewood campus in Baltimore, Md. The $30-million facility will house the Institute for Computational and Mathematical Life Sciences and an interdisciplinary robotics group. THe building is unusual for the university in that it doesn't contain wet lab space but does feature a large central lounge to foster interaction between researchers. Completion is expected as early at June of 2007.
McGill University is constructing the $53-million Bellini Life Sciences Center in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Designed as the anchor facility for the largest research complex of its kind in eastern Canada, the project is funded by $21.3-million from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, matching funds from the Government of Quebec, a $17.5-million grant from Quebec's Minstere de la Recherche, Science et Technologies, and a $10-million donation from Dr. Francesco Bellini.
Canisius College will begin construction in late 2007 on a $45-million interdisciplinary science center in Buffalo, N.Y. Sited on 3.5 acres, the 237,000-sf facility will consolidate the college's programs in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, bioinformatics, environmental science, psychology, physics, computer science, and mathematics.
Texas Christian University (TCU) has selected Cannon Design in association with Hahnfeld Associates to design a new university union on the school's Forth Worth campus. The 140,000-sf building will house casual gathering places for students, food service facilities, retail spaces, student government offices, and an auditorium. Construction will begin in summer of 2006. As a "fusion" facility, the project will combine several different student services and activities under one roof.
The University of Louisiana (ULL) is engaged in over $50-million in capital projects on its Lafayette campus. A $7.5-million, 15,000-sf computer science building is slated for completion by year-end 2006. The three-story facility will house classrooms, labs, conference rooms, and an auditorium. Construction was completed in January 2006 on a $1.3-million expansion of the Marine Survival Training Center.
