Higher Education

Arizona State University (ASU) completed in November 2000 the $5.7 million restoration of Old Main, a cherished 30,000-sf landmark building constructed in 1895 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Old Main now serves as the activity hub for the 200,000-member ASU Alumni Association. The project includes a new entrance, new lobby and oak stair; the restoration of the 3,400-sf historic ballroom on the third floor along with a new boardroom, library, archives, and offices.

The College of St. Catherine in St. Paul has selected Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbot to renovate and design a new Student Center and Learning Commons. The 100,000-sf Student Center will be documented and constructed by Opus A&E Northwest of Minnetonka, Minn., and the 107,000-sf Learning Commons by McGough Construction and HGA Architects of Minneapolis.

Wittenberg University has selected Holabird & Root of Chicago to design the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center and renovate the existing building. The first phase of a two phase project includes a 47,000-sf expansion of the original 96,000-sf facility to primarily house classroom, laboratory, and office space with state-of-the-art mechanical and electrical systems.

San Jose State University has plans for a new 17,000-sf building for the school's athletes devoted to physical conditioning, strength-building, and rehabilitation. Thanks to a $1 million grant from the Koret Foundation, the Koret Building is scheduled to open in fall 2001. It will provide all of the school's 350 athletes with lockers, a state-of-the-art weight room, as well as the rehabilitation center.

The University of San Diego has completed construction of the Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. The $30-million center is designed to accommodate both research on the topics of peace, conflict, and social justice as well as actual international negotiations and mediation. The 92,000-sf facility, designed by San Diego-based Carrier Johnson, incorporates an auditorium seating 320, classrooms, distance learning center, and faculty offices. Visiting scholars or officials can be housed in an adjoining three-unit apartment. Rudolph & Sletten Inc. was the general contractor.

University of California, San Diego, plans to break ground in 2002 on the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology. The $66,647 million, 127,000-asf structure will house approximately 23,802 nsf of lab and lab support space for the Departments of Materials and Devices and Network Infrastructure. The facility includes SEM, AES, SIMS, FEMTOSECOND Laser suites with MOCVD and XRD labs. Class 1000 and 100 cleanrooms will house lithography, e-beam lithography, thermal processing, wet processing, metallization and thin film.

The University of Texas-San Antonio has plans to build a $6.25 million, 30,000-sf facility to permanently house the university's Institute for Economic Development at its Downtown Campus.

The University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) plans to expand the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology (CARB) with CARB II at the university's Shady Grove campus. Most of the $38 million, 140,000-sf four-story building will house research labs, including facilities for both plant core transformation and insect transformation. The structure will also accommodate a 5,000-sf UMBI staff office, and a teaching lab for bioprocess engineering.

The Medical College of Virginia Hospital has selected Boston-based Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott working with Baskervill & Son of Richmond to design a 229,000-sf, 10-level gateway building to serve as the new "front door" for the campus. The project will create continuity between various medical specialties, enhanceing the deliveryof patient care.

North Carolina State University has selected the Raleigh office of Flad & Associates to complete a master plan for the university's College of Veterinary Medicine. Flad will verify space needs, future growth projections, and analyze current site conditions. The cornerstone of the campus' future development will be a new laboratory building designed by Flad.

Brown University's new 17,000-sf two-level Engineering and Physics Addition has been completed by the George B.H. Macomber Company of Boston. The addition unites the existing 1960s complex and provides cutting-edge labs and teaching spaces. The new structure, designed by Payette Associates of Boston, provides space for digital imaging; rapid prototyping; computing; and electronic, mechanical, electrical, civil, and bioengineering labs.

Princeton University has contracted with R.M. Shoemaker Co. of West Conshohocken, Pa., to provide preconstruction services for their new 200-bed, 88,000-sf upper-class dormitory. The facility will include paired singles with semi-private bath, four-room four-person suites with bath, and single rooms with common bathrooms along a corridor. In addition, a variety of study rooms, lounge, and laundry facilities are to be provided on each floor, including a central lounge with kitchen and dining area.

Drexel University’s new Laurence A. Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship in Technology, scheduled to open in fall 2001, is being designed by IA/Interspace. The center will house a cybercafe and a multi-purpose presentation room for student presentations of business plans to potential investors. Drexel has contracted with the Port of Technology in nearby University City to run the Baiada Center.

Pennsylvania State University is considering approximately $140 million in projects at the University City campus. A $31 million parking garage is planned, and a medical facility shared with The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is under consideration. The medical complex would combine ambulatory services, cancer care, and research space.

Independence Park Institute, a $10 million educational building designed by Kallman, McKinnell and Wood Architects, will house interactive educational space for student visitors to Independence Mall each year. The building is as yet unfunded, but construction is scheduled to begin in December 2001, with completion in 2002. Construction at other Independence Mall sites includes the $12 million Liberty Bell Pavilion, the $40 million Visitors Center, and the $130 million National Constitution Center?all scheduled to open beginning fall 2001 through 2003.