Higher Education

Saint Mary's University has awarded the Atlantic Buildings division of Aecon Group the construction management contract for the $25.5 million renovation of its Applied Science Building in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The project includes the refurbishing of an existing 71,500-sf, five-story facility and the construction of a five-story, 22,500-sf teaching and research addition. Construction on the project began in May 2005 and will reach completion in three years.

The University of Florida is developing the 23,500-gsf Center of Excellence for Regenerative Heath Biotechnology in Alachua County, Fla. Sited 13 miles from the University's Gainesville campus in the Sid Martin Biotechnology Development Incubator in the Progress Corporate Park, the facility will house up to 11,080 sf of cleanrooms and support space.

Towson University is engaged in an expansion and renovation of its Center for the Arts in Towson, Md. The $53-million project adds 134,000 sf to the original 166,000-sf structure for a total of 300,000 sf. New facilities in the center include a 140-seat recital hall, a recording studio, a black box theater, a costume design shop, art galleries, and classroom. Accommodating programs for the university's music, theater, art, and dance departments, the expansion was designed by Baltimore-based Design Collective Inc.

The University of Pittsburgh will open the $205-million Biomedical Science Tower 3 in August 2005. Construction of the 330,000-sf facility was overseen by Mascaro Construction Co. The ten-story tower plus basement will house programs in structural biology; genomics; proteomics; computational biology and informatics; drug discovery; neurodegenerative disease research; and counter-bioterrorism vaccine research. The facility was designed with each half of a floor as a large lab with 28 movable, modular benches.

Northwest Missouri State University (NMSU) is developing the 140,000-sf Missouri Center of Excellence for Plant Biologics in Maryville, Mo. The $30-million on-campus facility will house industry tenants as well as academic researchers. The facility is comprised of two major centers, the Graduate Applied Research Center and the Plant Biologics Incubator.

The University of Arizona in Tucson is engaged in a $46.1-million expansion of its Chemistry building. Housing additional research labs and office space for the Department of Chemistry, the facility is slated for occupancy in May 2006. The project was designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership and is being built by Hensel Phelps Construction .

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is engaged in the fit-out of 22,631 sf of chemistry space. Housing two organic chemistry labs, two general chemistry labs, one physical chemistry lab, and one biological chemistry lab, the facility will also include a classroom and an NMR room. The architect for the $3.6-million project is DesignForm with Brasfield & Gorrie as general contractor. The electrical engineer is Hyde Engineering with Davis Dumas & Associates as mechanical engineer.

The University of Cambridge is constructing the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics (CAPE) in Cambridge, UK. Designed by TP Bennett of London, the new facility will provide over 4,800 square-meters of research and laboratory space for the University's Department of Engineering's Electrical Division. Housing a 760-square-meter cleanroom and a central atrium, the center will be built by Marriott Construction.

The University of Kansas celebrated the topping off of the new 205,000-sf Biomedical Research Center in Kansas City, Kansas, on June 28, 2005. The $57.2-million, five story project will house facilities for studying proteins, fertility and reproductive studies, strokes and the aging process, and a liver center. The project team consists of Cannon Design, Turner Construction, and GLPM. The finished facility will have 211,500 sf of floor area.

West Virginia University is expanding its Ruby Memorial Hospital and Health Sciences Campus in Morgantown with the construction of a new North/Northwest Tower. The eight-story addition will include 81 beds, six operating rooms, a new ICU and pediatric ICU, conference rooms, a pharmacy and lab, and sleeping rooms for on-call physicians. The North/Northwest Tower is slated for occupancy in October 2005.

The New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology has opened an electronics testing facility in Socorro, N.M. The MicroElectronics Testing, Technology & Obsolescence Program (METTOP) has now completed and occupied its 6,500-sf laboratory. Funded by $8.5 million in federal appropriations, the laboratory provides space for determining how much radiation the electronics used in military and space applications can withstand. The program also involves testing and consultation for electronic component obsolescence.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) broke ground on June 27, 2005 on a life sciences and bioengineering center in Worcester, Mass. Sited on a former industrial brownfield, the 14-story center is the first facility in a planned 11-acre life sciences development called Gateway Parklife sciences park. WPI's 124,600-sf center is slated for completion in early 2007 and will accommodate laboratories, support facilities, and a renovated industrial building housing meeting rooms and offices.

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has awarded Gilbane the construction management contract for a new $64-million academic facility. Housing both the School of Business and the second phase of the School of Engineering, the project will be sited on VCU's Monroe Park Campus Addition in Richmond, Va. Comprised of approximately 260,000 gsf, the facility will house classrooms, laboratories, case study rooms, lecture halls, multi-media teaching facilities, a trading room, cafe, faculty and administrative offices, and support.

The University of Louisville is constructing the $14-million Community Park student housing facility on its Belknap Campus. Designed by Louisville-based Luckett & Farley, the four-story, 350-bed dormitory will feature private and double suites, as well as offices and meeting rooms for campus organizations. The general contractor is Messer Construction of Cincinnati. The project will be developed, owned and managed by Memphis-based Education Realty Trust. The facility is slated for completion in fall 2006.

Boise State University opened a new academic facility on its 150-acre West campus in Nampa, Idaho, in June 2005. The 65,600-sf building houses 14 classrooms (including a computer classroom); two distance learning classrooms; lab prep rooms for chemistry, biology, and physics; three teaching labs; a computer lab; offices for faculty, student services, and administration; a branch library; two conference rooms; a bookstore; and study lounges. The new building will accommodate classes in math, English, anthropology, biology, chemistry, and physics.