Higher Education

Emory University has opened the new $81.3-million Whitehead Biomedical Research Building, an eight-floor structure housing 150 faculty offices and 150 labs in an open-lab design equipped with advanced automated and robotic equipment for rapid DNA analysis. A below-ground 50,000-sf facility houses rodent research. The new 325,000-sf research building accommodates the Center for Medical Genomics, the Neurodegenerative Disease Center, and Emory’s departments of cell biology, and human genetics and physiology.

The Pennsylvania State University has selected Gilbane Building Company as program/construction manager for preconstruction services for five buildings on the State College campus. The new complex includes the Mary Jean and Frank P. Smeal College of Business Administration (210,000 sf); two new buildings for the College of Agricultural Sciences: the food science department (112,000 sf) and the School of Forest Resources (84,000 sf); a 1,200-car parking deck; and a 3,000-ton chiller.

The Harvard Institutes of Medicine in collaboration with Lyme Properties LLC is proposing the construction of the Blackfan Research Center—a  400,000-sf biomedical research facility for academic research institutions in Boston’s Longwood Medical Area. The 18-story structure would accommodate 280,000 sf of lab space for research and 120,000 sf of office space, and provide below-ground parking for 300 vehicles. Pending permit approvals by the end of 2002, Lyme hopes to begin construction by mid-2003, with completion in 2005.

The University of Kentucky has selected Gilman Building Co. of Columbus, Ohio, as construction manager for its new $67.2-million, 185,000-sf Biomedical/Biological Sciences Research Building. The new building, with four floors of research space and a basement, will serve as a facility for collaboration in research and graduate education in biological chemistry, genetics, molecular biology, neuroscience, vaccine development, host resistance, and related fields.

Ground has been broken on Guilford Technical Community College's 66,000-sf School of Entertainment Technology. Funded by state bond money, the $92.5 million building will include an amphitheater and sound studios.

Plainview, Texas-based Wayland Baptist University System is planning to add 319,000 sf of classroom and administrative space to its Wayland-San Antonio campus. The multimillion-dollar project will be housed on 26 acres of recently purchased land; with the additional acres, Wayland owns a total of 32.5 acres at the site. Construction on the five-building, 1,395-parking space development will probably not begin for another five years.

Andrews University broke ground in March 2002 for the new Howard Performing Arts Center. The $10.5-million, 44,000-sf building provides rehearsal, recording, and performance facilities for the University’s orchestra, symphony, and chorus as well as shelled space for WAUS radio station in the future. The Andrews University School of Music, community groups, and traveling performers will utilize the 230-person capacity stage. Audience seating will accommodate approximately 800 people. Architect and engineer for the project is HarleyEllis of Detroit. Fiskars of St.

Drexel University’s Bennett S. LeBow College of Business is expanding with the new Leonard Pearlstein Business Learning Center, now under construction. When it opens in fall of 2002, the $15-million structure will connect to LeBow’s main building, and will accommodate seminar rooms designed like boardrooms, offices, computer labs, and study rooms. Architect for the project is Philip Johnson.

Temple University City Center has relocated to a new six-story, 126,866-sf, state-of-the-art building in the center of downtown Philadelphia’s business district, a public transportation-friendly location. The $11.1-million structure, approximately 35,000 sf larger than the previous facility, is equipped with “smart carts” for overhead presentations, lounges on every floor, and views from every classroom. Temple’s Fox School of Business, the Real Estate Institute, and a new criminal justice institute will all be located at the new campus.

The University of California is making plans for a new 60,000-sf office building adjacent to the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The University’s Board of Regents is seeking a developer to design, build, finance, and maintain the building. Construction is slated to begin in 2003, targeting May 2005 for occupancy.

Clayton College & State University will initiate the second phase of construction on its Clayton Place student dormitory and apartment project in April 2002. Developed by Place Properties LLC, the 11-acre, seven-building, 116-unit expansion of Clayton Place adds 430 beds and is slated to open in 2003. The first phase included a three-story apartment complex housing one- and two-bedroom apartments with student activity centers, exercise facilities, swimming pools, and game rooms.

Mt. Holyoke College is designing its new science center and Blanchard Student Center renovation to comply with strict national green design standards. With both buildings certified to meet the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, these sustainable design buildings are part of 53,000,000 sf of commercial, residential, retail and government space that has been built to U.S. Green Building Council standards since the LEED certification program began two years ago.

Yale University School of Medicine selected Boston-based Jung/Brannen Associates Inc. to design a new 28,400-sf research facility. The lab will occupy half of the second floor of the 300 George Biotech Laboratory Building.

The Northside Independent School District (NISD) has selected PBK Architects Inc. of Houston to design a new high school on 75 acres in the Westover Hills. The $51-million, 350,000-sf school is slated to be ready for the 2005-2006 academic year with construction to begin in spring of 2003. The new campus was approved to relieve overcrowding at local high schools.

The University of California, San Francisco is planning a 150,000-sf neurosurgery, urology and cancer center serving advanced research. The $85-million building, still in a "very preliminary" stage, could be located on the University's Mt. Zion campus in San Francisco. The neurological research building will be accompanied by a $600-million project replacing existing hospitals due to cramped medical research space and inadequate seismic standards. After plans are approved, it could take at least 10 years to open the new hospital facilities.