Higher Education

The benefits of peer-based learning have led colleges around the country to devote spaces for students to study in groups. Designing these spaces so they actually attract students—making them “sticky”—requires providing the right mix for solo students and small and large groups; the furniture to accommodate them; amenities like ample white boards and well-placed coffee bars; floods of natural light; and ubiquitous access to power for recharging smartphones and laptops.

Harvard University opened HouseZero in December of 2018 in Cambridge, Mass. Acting as a living laboratory for sustainable design and construction, the project features a data-driven infrastructure with nearly 300 embedded sensors that produce 17 million data points in real time each day. Software informed by the house's sensors automatically opens and closes windows, circulating air through cross ventilation and convection flows. Algorithms informed by sensors optimize ventilation in relation to the house's mass, reducing the need for building systems almost entirely.

Mississippi State University broke ground in December of 2018 on the $34 million Richard A. Rula Engineering & Science Complex in Starkville. Designed by Eley Guild Hardy Architects, the 70,000-sf facility will provide teaching and research labs, high bay areas, classrooms, and offices. Featuring exposed building systems to enable the structure to act as a teaching tool, the building will house the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering as well as accommodating programs in chemistry.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is planning to build a $5 million, 12,490-sf gnotobiotic mouse vivarium adjacent to its existing rodent facility on the East Campus. Providing labs, procedure rooms, a conference room, a staff locker room, and animal holding space, the germ-free facility is being created by the Nebraska Food for Health Center to support research on the human microbiome. Construction will begin in 2019 with completion expected in summer of 2020.

The University of Georgia broke ground in November of 2018 on the $65 million Interdisciplinary Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (I-STEM) Research Building in Athens. Located on the South Campus, the four-story, 100,000-sf facility will provide collaborative laboratories and support spaces for research programs at the intersection of chemistry, engineering, and materials sciences. The I-STEM building will accommodate more than 30 faculty and 100 graduate students and is slated for completion in summer of 2021.

Pensacola State University broke ground in November of 2018 on a $34 million STEM facility to replace the Mary Ellison Baars Building in Pensacola, Fla. The first phase of the project includes construction of the $13 million east wing to accommodate programs in cybersecurity, computer science, advanced manufacturing, mathematics, and aviation maintenance. The three-story, 25,400-sf structure is being built by Ajax Building Corporation and completion is expected in May of 2020.

The University of Miami dedicated the Thomas P. Murphy Design Studio Building in November of 2018 in Coral Gables, Fla. Designed by Arquitectonica, the 20,000-sf facility provides the School of Architecture with a unique collaborative learning space that can accommodate up to 130 students simultaneously. The only fixed walls within the structure delineate a technology-rich fabrication lab with polymer and powder 3D printers.

Collin College is building a 339,000-sf campus in Wylie, Texas. Designed by Page Southerland Page to provide dynamic and flexible learning environments for programs in science, engineering, information technology, fine arts, education, and health care, the project comprises three multi-story instructional facilities including a student center, a campus commons, and a library.

Virginia Tech is planning to build a $1 billion innovation campus in Alexandria. Strategically sited near Amazon's new National Landing headquarters, the project will provide one million square feet of teaching and research space for graduate programs in computer science, software engineering, data analytics, cybersecurity, and technology and policy. The campus will also include residential amenities and space for collaboration with industry partners. The development team includes the City of Alexandria and Stonebridge Associates. 

The Quadram Institute began the phased occupation of its £75 million translational research facility in fall of 2018. Located in the Norwich Research Park in the United Kingdom, the 150,000-sf complex was created by Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, the University of East Anglia, Quadram Institute Bioscience, and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

Florida Southern College broke ground in November of 2018 on the Carole and Marcus Weinstein Computer Sciences Center in Lakeland. Designed by Mesick Cohen Wilson Baker to complement existing campus buildings by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the project will accommodate new programs in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, informatics, and logistics. The facility will offer 10,000 sf of academic space, a 3,000-sf auditorium, and a food hall. The general contractor for the project is Rodda Construction.

Muskegon Community College opened the $14.1 million Health and Wellness Center in November of 2018 in Muskegon, Mich. Designed by The Collaborative, the 52,000-sf facility provides a 3,000-sf simulation training lab, classrooms, collaborative learning spaces, faculty offices, a multipurpose room, a gymnasium, an indoor track, and a fitness center.

Fairfield University has added a new residence hall to its campus, filling in the surrounding quad and providing students with modern amenities. The 65,000-sf 42 Langguth Hall houses primarily freshmen and sophomores in the Ignatian Leadership Residential College. The L-shaped facility houses 202 students—in 190 double rooms and 12 singles, plus three resident director suites. Fully accessible unisex bathrooms and showers are on floors one through three. The interior affords expansive open spaces and a spacious common area, with three floors of dorm rooms and a partial basement of supporting functions. The corner of the L is framed by a glass tower that connects to the quad and serves as a beacon.  

Peking University is planning to construct a 169-acre campus for research and development in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Supporting interdisciplinary programs in computer science and engineering, the project will represents a significant expansion of Peking University's existing footprint into the Changping district. Artificial intelligence is a central theme of the country's Made in China 2025 initiative which aims to develop the knowledge and talent base to support an internationally competitive manufacturing industry.

West Texas A&M University will begin construction in December of 2018 on two new veterinary facilities in Canyon, Texas. The $22 million Veterinary Education, Research & Outreach Center will house three BSL-2 labs, a multipurpose teaching lab, a large partitionable classroom, offices, a student commons, and a graduate student bullpen. Offering 22,564 net assignable square feet, the building will include shell space for additional teaching, research, and instructional facilities.