Higher Education

University of Michigan transformed Weiser Hall—a 1960s brick tower with floor after floor of double-loaded, concrete block corridors—into a dynamic and flexible “center of centers” that brings together international and interdisciplinary institutes and centers so they can share space, services, and ideas. The provost’s charge was to renovate the building to create the “academic workplace of the future.” With the help of brightspot strategy and Diamond Schmitt architects, the team accomplished that mission with a seven-step formula that yielded impressive results, including an average overall productivity savings of 4.26 hours per person per week, the equivalent of every unit being able to grow its staff by 10 percent at no cost.

The University of Cambridge broke ground in January of 2019 on a £300 million expansion of the Cavendish Laboratory in the United Kingdom. The project includes construction of the 355,000-sf Ray Dolby Centre to provide the department of physics with additional laboratories, cleanrooms, lecture halls, offices, and workshops. A basement level with advanced vibration and EMI mitigation technologies will accommodate sensitive instrumentation.

Capital One opened the Tech Incubator at the University of Maryland in College Park in November of 2018. Supporting collaborative research in data science, machine learning, and AI, the flexible 7,500-sf facility features 32 sit-to-stand desks in an open office area that can be converted into a meeting venue. Located in UMD’s Discovery District in a mixed-use development called the Diamondback Garage, the facility provides laboratories, a conference room, a lounge, a kitchen, and a game room.

Montana State University opened the $53 million Norm Asbjornson Hall in January of 2019 in Bozeman. Designed by ZGF Architects and A&E Architects with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the three-story, 110,000-sf facility houses both the College of Engineering and the Honors College. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the project, which provides 17 teaching labs, 10 classrooms, offices, and a presentation hall.

The University of Sheffield will begin construction in early 2019 on a £65 million social sciences building in the United Kingdom. Designed by HLM Architects, the four-story, 178,000-sf facility will accommodate 13 departments and multiple research institutes in an innovative working environment. The interdisciplinary building will provide a central atrium, collaborative lecture halls, seminar rooms, social spaces, study areas, computer rooms, a research hub, and a café.

Georgia Southern University opened the $23 million Health Professions Academic Building in January of 2019 in Statesboro, Ga. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative to accommodate team-based learning, the technology-rich facility provides advanced simulation training suites, clinical skills labs, and instructional spaces. Illuminated by abundant natural light, the sustainably designed structure features the 8,193-sf St. Joseph’s/Candler Nursing Suite and the Memorial Health Active Learning Studio.

More and more, workers aren’t going to an office and sitting at the same desk Monday through Friday. Today’s architects, builders, institutions, and designers need to plan for a future in which workers are nomads—moving from one place to another within a building or campus, or showing up in the office just one or two days a week. These nomadic workers are often mobile by choice, taking advantage of the flexibility that technology has enabled for academic staff, knowledge workers, and even healthcare employees.

Providence College’s 37,000-sf addition to the 70,000-sf Albertus Magnus Hall encourages collaboration among students and faculty within a multi-disciplinary environment for the departments of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Psychology, and Engineering-Physics-Systems. The addition creates a new front entrance for the teaching and research facility, which is Phase 1B of a $50 million multi-phased project involving three adjoining buildings: Albertus Magnus, Sowa and Hickey halls.

Santa Rosa Junior College is planning to build the $75 million Lindley Center for STEM Education in Santa Rosa, Calif. Designed by SmithGroup and Strata AP with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 92,000-sf interdisciplinary facility will provide leading-edge teaching labs and classrooms to accommodate programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Groundbreaking is slated for spring of 2020 with completion expected in 2022. 

Gustavus Adolphus College is engaged in a $70 million expansion and renovation of the Nobel Hall of Science in St. Peter, Minn. Designed by Hastings+Chivetta with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the project includes construction of a 74,000-sf addition on the south side housing classrooms, study spaces, and labs. On the north side, a 12,400-sf expansion will highlight student/faculty research projects and showcase the College’s signature event, The Nobel Conference.

LAVLE USA is partnering with Old Dominion University to create the $12 million Marine Electric Propulsion Simulation (MEPS) Laboratory in Newport News, Va. Supporting both military and commercial applications, the 22,000-sf facility will house sophisticated instrumentation for the development of electric propulsion, advanced energy storage, and autonomous systems technologies. Construction is expected to begin in summer of 2019 with completion in summer of 2020. 

McLaren Health Care broke ground in December of 2018 on a $450 million medical campus in Lansing, Mich. Located in Michigan State University's Corporate Research Park, the project will include a 240-bed acute care hospital, a cancer center, and a medical services building. Designed to promote academic collaboration, the campus will also offer facilities for research, education, and training.

Pomona College is planning to begin construction in 2021 on the $55 million Rains Center for Sport and Recreation in Claremont, Calif. Designed by SCB, the facility will accommodate Pomona-Pitzer's athletic programs as well as acting as the campus fitness and recreation center. Supporting enhanced student recruitment and retention initiatives, the facility will feature spacious workout areas, exercise studios, general and varsity weight training rooms, team meeting suites, and administrative offices.

Cornerstone College opened the $15.5-million Jack and Mary De Witt Center for Science and Technology in December of 2018 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Designed by Progressive AE to put science on display, the three-story, 30,000-sf structure provides seven labs, 17 faculty offices, a variety of instructional spaces, and group study areas to support STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Constructed using sustainable materials, the state-of-the-art facility features a two-story biowall that purifies the building’s internal air.

Stanford University is building the Center for Academic Medicine in Palo Alto, Calif. Designed by HOK, the four-story, 170,000-gsf facility will provide consolidated administrative space for clinical faculty, computational researchers, and departmental leadership. The collaborative project will include a conference center, a café, a fitness center, and a three-story, 830-space underground parking structure. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2020.