Higher Education

The University of Newcastle began construction in February of 2020 on a AUD$25 million facility for the School of Creative Industries in Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Designed by EJE Architecture, the four-story building will provide a maker space, research labs, studios, a co-working environment, seminar and conference rooms, flexible and informal learning spaces, and a café. Located in the AUD$500 millon Honeysuckle City Campus Development, the project will also house the region's Integrated Innovation Network Hub.

Washington University in St. Louis broke ground on a $616 million neuroscience research center in March of 2020. Designed by Perkins+Will and CannonDesign, the 609,000-sf building will accommodate over 100 research teams in collaborative neighborhoods to promote interaction. Strategically sited between the university's medical campus and the Cortex Innovation Community, the 11-story facility will house approximately 900 investigators from the departments of neurology, neuroscience, neurosurgery, psychiatry, and anesthesiology.

East Carolina University is constructing the $90 million Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building in Greenville, N.C. Designed by Lord Aeck Sargent, the 141,500-sf facility will provide wet bench and computational labs for programs in biotechnology, biophysics, biofuels, environmental engineering, imaging, and sensor development. Enabling students to engage in collaborative research with academic and industry partners, the four-story structure will include classrooms, lecture halls, administrative offices, core labs, and support spaces.

Lehigh University will break ground in April of 2021 on a 74,000-sf facility for the College of Business in Bethlehem, Pa. Featuring technology-rich classrooms for new programs in financial technologies, the three-story, four-floor structure will house the Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research, the Rauch Media and Communications Lab, a behavioral lab, a data analytics lab, and a business innovation and incubation center. The building will be sited adjacent to the existing Rauch Business Center, which will also be expanded and renovated.

Rice University opened the $38 million Kraft Hall for Social Sciences in February of 2020 in Houston. Designed by Rogers Partners, the four-story, 78,000-sf building provides five state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories, seminar and conference rooms, student lounges, administrative and faculty offices, and a multipurpose venue able to accommodate 300 people.

The University of Washington is planning to construct the $100 million Health Sciences Education Building in Seattle. Designed by Miller Hull Partnership and The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the four-story structure will provide nearly 100,000 sf of innovative teaching space for interprofessional education programs.

Baylor University broke ground in February of 2020 on the $75 million Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center in Waco, Texas. Designed by Populous, the 125,000-sf complex will be a vibrant campus hub for academic, cultural, social, and alumni activities.

The Texas A&M University System is creating a $546 million complex at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. A renovated 18-story structure will accommodate the groundbreaking Engineering Medicine (EnMed) program when it opens in summer of 2020. Two new towers will be developed through a public-private partnership (P3). Slated for completion in June of 2022, a 365,000-sf residential facility will offer 572 units providing 704 beds for medical and nursing students, and a 1.2 million-sf parking garage will accommodate 3,444 cars.

The University of Warwick celebrated the opening of the £150 million National Automotive Innovation Campus in February of 2020. Located in Coventry in the United Kingdom, the four-story, 355,200-sf complex was created in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Motors, and the Warwick Manufacturing Group. Designed as a catalyst for economic and workforce development, the National Automotive Innovation Campus will accelerate the creation of sustainable mobility solutions such as electrified and autonomous vehicles.

The University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are building the Immune Transplant and Therapy Center in Bloomfield. Developed in partnership with Wexford Science & Technology, the $250 million project involves the transformation of a former Ford assembly plant and showroom into an eight-story innovation hub accommodating research on immunotherapy, cancer, chronic diseases, aging, and transplantation.

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratory (SEL) opened a $20 million R&D facility in February of 2020 in West Lafayette, Ind. Located in Purdue University's Discovery Park District, the three-story, 100,000-sf building offers leading-edge laboratory and support space for electric power research, development, and manufacturing.

Georgia College broke ground in February of 2020 on the $22.1 million Integrated Science Complex in Milledgeville. Designed by Cooper Carry, the 43,000-sf facility will provide flexible research labs, faculty offices, teaching labs, imaging and microscopy suites, collaboration and study spaces, and a botany terrace. The labs will be interconnected by a linear equipment corridor accessible to all science faculty and students.

Beloit College dedicated the Powerhouse in February of 2020 in Beloit, Wis. Designed by Studio Gang, the $38 million project included the redevelopment of a decommissioned power plant to create a unique campus hub housing a recreation center, a student union, and an athletics facility. The 120,000-sf riverside complex offers a 160-seat auditorium, meeting and seminar rooms, informal gathering spaces, a swimming pool, a 10,000-sf fitness center, a 17,000-sf recreational gym, a 200-person event space, an elevated indoor track, and a café.

The University of California, Irvine broke ground on a $185 million health sciences complex in February of 2020. Supporting an innovative curriculum based on integrative health, the five-story, 108,200-sf Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences will adjoin the four-story, 71,500-sf Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing to create a vibrant nexus for learning, research, and clinical training.

Florida State University dedicated the $65 million Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science building in February of 2020 in Tallahassee. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, the eight-story, 130,500-sf facility collocates departmental space previously scattered in eight disparate locations. The building provides 23 research labs, eight teaching labs, a 100-seat active-learning classroom, a 280-seat auditorium, a meteorology broadcasting studio, a seismometer suite, student lounges, and a rooftop terrace.