Higher Education

Wichita State University opened the $60 million Wayne and Kay Woolsey Hall in August of 2022. Designed by the architectural team of Gensler and GastingerWalker, the new home of the W. Frank Barton School of Business features flexible, technology-enabled learning environments capable of accommodating a wide range of class sizes and configurations. Illuminated by natural light, the three-story, 125,000-sf facility includes a 300-seat auditorium, collaboration spaces, business labs, faculty and staff offices, a ballroom, and a café.

The University of Washington will break ground in fall of 2022 on the $102 million Interdisciplinary Engineering Building in Seattle. Designed by KieranTimberlake and McGranahan Architects, the 70,000-sf facility will act as the academic home for all undergraduate engineering students on campus.

Auburn University opened the $110 million Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center in August of 2022 in Auburn, Ala. Designed by Cooper Carry, the 142,000-sf facility features immersive learning environments for programs in hospitality management and culinary sciences. Offering sophisticated food production and demonstration labs, the complex includes a teaching restaurant, a food hall, a microbrewery and tasting room, and a boutique hotel and spa.

Cornell University will begin construction in January of 2023 on a 30,000-nsf expansion of Thurston Hall in Ithaca, N.Y. Designed by NBBJ to promote experiential learning, the $40 million project will accommodate the rapidly growing Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The façade of the brick and stone structure, which was originally built in 1951, will be transformed into a contemporary glass and metal exterior that transmits natural light to interior areas.

The University of Washington and Gonzaga University opened the $60 million Health Partnership Building in Spokane in August of 2022. Located at the gateway to the Gonzaga campus, the interdisciplinary center collocates students and faculty from both institutions to create new opportunities for learning and discovery. The 90,000-sf facility offers interactive classrooms, teaching and research labs, faculty offices, a fitness hub, and a state-of-the-art anatomy suite.

Cardiff University opened the £80 million Translational Research Hub in July of 2022 in the United Kingdom. Housing the Institute for Compound Semiconductors and the Cardiff Catalysis Institute, the 129,000-sf facility provides specialized labs, collaboration spaces, and offices where scientists can work side-by-side with industrial partners to create new technological solutions for pressing challenges in manufacturing, energy, transportation, and healthcare.

The University of North Carolina Wilmington is expanding the William Randall Library to enhance the student experience with new venues for knowledge exchange and discovery. Designed by LS3P and Shepley Bulfinch to maximize visibility and connectivity, the $56 million project includes construction of an 80,000-sf addition and renovation of the existing structure to create an 118,000-sf complex.

The University of Cambridge opened the Heart and Lung Research Institute in the United Kingdom in July of 2022. Created in partnership with the Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the £60 million facility features state-of-the-art labs for cellular, molecular, and translational research. Accommodating 380 academic and industry scientists, the 86,000-sf project houses a high-throughput characterization suite, a genetics and functional genomic center, the relocated Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, and the 10-bed Clinical Research Facility.

Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences has acquired an existing life sciences facility to house the Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training. Sited adjacent to the school's campus in Albany, New York, the 154,000-sf structure is uniquely designed for biomedical research with over 60,000 sf of BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratory space. The five-story building will be renovated to create dedicated gene therapy labs, mammalian cell labs, teaching wet labs, biopharmaceutical pilot plants, and fermentation and downstream processing facilities.

Iowa State University is planning to construct the $54 million Therkildsen Industrial Engineering Building in Ames. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the 77,000-gsf facility will provide 42,600 nsf of flexible teaching, research, and administrative space for the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering. The lower levels of the four-story structure will house classrooms, innovation studios, and a café, with labs strategically sited in highly visible locations to promote program opportunities and benefits.

The University of Cincinnati is constructing the $76.6 million Clifton Court Hall to unify social science programs into a vibrant ecosystem of research, learning, and engagement. Designed by LMN Architects and KZF Design, the 180,000-gsf structure will collocate the departments of psychology, philosophy, journalism, German studies, and Romance and Arabic languages with the School of Public and International Affairs and the School of Communication, Film, and Media Studies.

Oregon State University is expanding Reser Stadium to create a best-in-class football facility with year-round amenities accessible to all students, athletes, faculty, and staff. Designed by SRG Partnership and Populous, the $153 million project includes the redevelopment of the structure's west side to create a 360-degree concourse that connects to the full perimeter of the stadium.

The University of Miami Health System broke ground in June of 2022 on the $250 million Transformational Cancer Research Building in Miami. Part of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, the 244,000-sf structure will provide the Miller School of Medicine with advanced laboratories where multidisciplinary teams will discover new modalities for cancer treatment and prevention.

San Francisco State University is building the $169 million Science & Engineering Innovation Center to provide leading-edge labs and classrooms for STEM education. Delivered by the design-build team of SmithGroup and DPR Construction, the 179,000-sf complex will comprise 125,000 sf of new construction and 54,000 sf of renovated space. The collaborative facility will feature three studio-style chemistry teaching venues with configurable workstations that will integrate lab and lecture functions in a single interactive setting.

Clark University broke ground in April of 2022 on the Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design in Worcester, Mass. Designed by Ayers Saint Gross as a hub for interdisciplinary innovation, the two-wing structure will house the Department of Computer Science, the Becker School of Design & Technology, and some programs within the Department of Visual and Performing Arts.