Higher Education

Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) is planning to build a $9-million academic liberal arts facility on its 186-acre Belleville , Ill., ampus. Designed by Peckham, Guyton, Albers and Viets Inc., the 40,000-sf building will house ten classrooms, office space, and a bookstore The project will replace five temporary classroom buildings. The community college expects to break ground on the facility in 2005 and reach completion is summer of 2006. SWIC is also engaged in $960,000 in renovations to existing campus facilities.

The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is leasing 81,500-sf of a 150,000-sf building that will be constructed in Cambridge. Housing office and R&D space, the facility will consolidate three Cambridge locations into a new state-of-the-art facility located in the 40-acre wooded Cambridge Discovery Park, which is owned by the Bulfinch Cos. Inc. Occupancy is slated for the fourth quarter of 2005.

Rice University in Houston has completed the renovation and remodeling of 3,000 sf in Abercrombie Hall to accommodate nanotechnology research. The facility houses a Class 100 cleanroom, a Class 1000 cleanroom, a conference area, and lab support space. The contractor for the design/build project was McCarthy Building Companies of Dallas .

Emory University School of Medicine has selected The S/L/A/M Collaborative to provide architectural, engineering, and interior design services for the renovation and expansion of the Anatomy and Physiology buildings in Atlanta. Slated for completion in year-end 2007, the $37 million project involves comprehensive renovation and adaptive reuse of two historic buildings; programming, design, and construction of 100,000-sf of new space; and demolition of an outdated connector building.

The University of Hartford celebrated the groundbreaking of the $32-million Integrated Science, Engineering and Technology (ISET) Complex in West Hartford, Conn.,  on June 16th, 2004 . The complex is comprised of the new 37,000-gsf ISET Building , the renovated 105,000-gsf Dana Hall, United Technologies Hall, and East Hall. These buildings will house the Engineering and Technology schools, the Integrated Technology program, and the Computer Science, Math, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Health Professions, and Psychology departments.

Texas Tech University is developing two new facilities, the Clinical Tower & Research Center (CT&RC) and the International Pain Institute (IPI) at the Health Sciences Center Campus in Lubbock , Texas . The new CT&RC will consolidate much of the clinical care currently in two other buildings into one patient-friendly building. Valued at $33,000,000, the CT&RC is composed of 142,000-sf of new construction and 23,000-sf of renovated space.

The Arizona State University Foundation is working with contractor McCarthy to construct its signature facility on a 3.4-acre site at ASU’s Tempe c ampus. The project includes a six-story, 140,000-sf office building; a 1,200-space parking structure; and a 15,000-sf, two-story annex for retail tenants. LEED™ certification will be sought for the building. Sustainable design features include opaque glazing, CO2 monitoring, sub-grade parking, and a 25% use of construction materials that include recycled content.

The de Young Museum is constructing a new $200-million privately funded museum and educational tower in San Francisco ’s Golden Gate Park . The 293,000-sf facility more than doubles the footprint of the previous museum, which was damaged in the 1989 earthquake. Construction began in July 2002, with completion expected in January 2005. The museum, which will be connected to the new $370-million California Academy of Sciences facility by an 800-space parking garage, will open in early fall 2005.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is planning to construct a new breast cancer research institute funded by a $7-million grant from the National Institutes of Health. Designed to allow investigators to better collaborate on research findings, the facility will feature state-of-the-art laboratories and additional research space. The University of Wisconsin was awarded a similar grant last year for the creation of a research institute on prostate cancer.

Robert Morris University has selected Mosites Construction Co. of Robinson Township to build its new football stadium and athletic administration building in Moon Township, Pa. Joe Walton Stadium, featuring 3,000 seats, an artificial turf surface, and locker rooms for teams and officials, is expected to open in September 2005. The stadium will connect to a new 20,000-sf athletic administration facility. The project also includes an all-sports strength and conditioning room and academic tutoring and study rooms. Construction began on June 14, 2005.

Logan College of Chiropractic has opened a $4-million research and learning center in Chesterfield, Mo. Housing a distance learning facility, a computer lab with 75 Internet-equipped workstations, a library, and a collection of human skeletons and skulls, the center will accommodate anatomy and human science studies for students, teachers, and area chiropractors.

The University of California, San Diego has completed construction of the new $45-million Leichtag Family Foundation Biomedical Research Building sited on the School of Medicine campus. General contractor McCarthy’s contract included construction of a four-level, 163,000-sf building with one below-grade level. The research building houses 40,000-sf of wet and dry lab space on four levels with 30 lab modules per floor, cold rooms, procedure rooms, dedicated dark rooms and research offices. The fourth floor houses Howard Hughes Medical Institute-supported research.

The Art Academy of Cincinnati initiated construction on June 7, 2004 on its new campus in Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati, Ohio. Slated for occupancy in less than 500 days, the $12.5 million project involves the transformation of an 80,000-sf industrial building and an adjacent 40,000-sf warehouse into one 120,000-sf facility. The new campus will consolidate the Academy’s two outdated, separate facilities.

Arizona State University is planning to develop the 1.2 million-sf  Scottsdale R&D Center on the 42-acre Los Arcos Mall parcel in Scottsdale, Ariz. To be constructed over the next 5 to 8 years, the $385-million center will focus on biosciences, engineering, and the arts.

Edison Community College is planning an $85-million facility on its Piqua, Fla., campus. Designed to accommodate “Regional Centers of Excellence,” the facility will house the Center for Business and Technology Innovation and Training, the Fine and Performing Arts Center, a library, and a learning center. Completion is expected in early 2007.