Higher Education

Gannon University is planning a cybersecurity research and teaching building in Erie, Pa. The $20 million project includes the renovation of Knight Tower to create a leading-edge computer science facility offering classrooms, a secure data center, and labs for the study of defense, hacking, and internet devices. Housing the Institute of Health and Cyber Knowledge, the six-story IHACK building will support the school's new majors in cyber engineering and cybersecurity. Two floors of the building will provide up to 40,000 sf of leased space for industry partners.

The University of Glasgow began construction in November of 2018 on the £113 million Research Hub in Scotland in the United Kingdom. Designed by HOK, the 183,000-sf interdisciplinary project is located on the site of the former Western Infirmary and will provide flexible research labs, write-up spaces, meeting rooms, informal interaction areas, and an entrepreneurship center to promote industry partnerships.

Grand Valley State University broke ground in November of 2018 on the $70 million Daniel and Pamella DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health in Grand Rapids, Mich. Designed by FTCH, the five-story, 160,000-sf facility will provide 15 classrooms and seminar rooms, 14 interactive labs, 12 conference rooms, 22 study areas, over 80 offices, and a library. The collaborative building will feature a learning commons, advanced simulation training suites, and a virtual anatomy lab with 3D modeling and imaging capabilities.

The University of Virginia has reduced the annual operating cost of Clark Hall by $1.2 million by optimizing the facility's energy performance. Located in Charlottesville, Clark Hall originally opened in 1932 and houses the Department of Environmental Sciences and the Charles L. Brown Science & Engineering Library. A team of UVA engineers, technicians, and specialists called Delta Force reviewed and retrofitted the building's systems and equipment to create a 67 percent savings on annual energy costs.

The University of Wyoming broke ground in November of 2018 on the $100 million Science Initiative building in Laramie. Designed by GSG Architecture and Perkins&Will, the 153,000-sf facility will provide leading-edge research labs, imaging suites, collaboration spaces, a vivarium, a greenhouse, and a 200-seat active-learning classroom. Supporting the university's Tier-1 Engineering Initiative, the interdisciplinary project will accommodate STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is planning to build the Schwarzman College of Computing in Cambridge. Accommodating programs in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, the interdisciplinary facility is supported by $1 billion in funding, which includes an endowment for the creation of 50 new faculty positions and the development of computing resources across the university. The project is expected to provide between 150,000 and 165,000 sf of laboratory and office space to house 65 faculty members, their research groups, and affiliated staff.

The University of Illinois broke ground in October of 2018 on a $41 million renovation and expansion of the Mechanical Engineering Building in Urbana. The project includes construction of a five-story, 25,000-sf addition and extensive renovations of the existing 60,000-sf structure. The completed facility will offer active-learning classrooms, integrated teaching and project labs, a 3,000-sf student design center, meeting and event areas, a café, and 7,000 sf of maker space. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2021. 

TRIUMF, Canada's national particle accelerator laboratory, is planning to build the 269,000-sf Institute for Advanced Medical Isotopes (IAMI) in Vancouver. The project will support interdisciplinary radioisotope and radiopharmaceutical research by bringing together TRIUMF faculty and students with academic, government, and industry partners. Supporting the creation of next-generation cancer therapies and imaging technologies, the nuclear medicine facility will house a TR-24 medical cyclotron, research labs, control rooms, and offices.

The University of Melbourne began construction in October of 2018 on Melbourne Connect, a AUD$425 million innovation precinct. Created in partnership with a development consortium steered by Lendlease, the 800,000-sf project will include a fabrication lab, student accommodation, commercial offices, a co-working center, retail amenities, and space for Science Gallery Melbourne. Designed by Woods Bagot, the mixed-use complex will comprise five buildings connected by a 35,000-sf superfloor and a central public outdoor garden.

Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine opened a $423 million medical research and treatment complex in November of 2018 in Stony Brook, N.Y. The 475,000-sf project included construction of the $193 million Medical and Research Translation (MART) building, an eight-story, 250,000-sf facility providing wet labs for the study of cancer biology, dry labs for biomedical informatics and statistical research, and a conference center with a 300-seat auditorium.

Boston University will begin construction in spring of 2020 on the 350,000-sf Data Sciences Center. The 17-story facility will be located on the Charles River Campus and will collocate the departments of statistics, mathematics, and computer science. The center will feature terraced platforms with whiteboard walls and a collaboration ramp to promote interaction and innovation. The structure is comprised of a four-story podium topped by 13 floors, with MEP systems located in additional basement and penthouse levels.

Hospital Corporation of America broke ground in October of 2018 on the $175 million UCF Lake Nona Medical Center in Orlando. Created in partnership with the University of Central Florida, the three-story, 204,000-sf teaching hospital will be built on 25 acres owned by the university in the Lake Nona Medical City development. The project is sited adjacent to the UCF College of Medicine and will act as the cornerstone for the school's new Academic Health Sciences Center. Occupancy is expected in late 2020. 

Emory University will begin construction in fall of 2019 on a $260 million biomedical research facility in Atlanta. Designed by HOK, the 300,000-sf facility will provide labs and offices for researchers engaged in the study of immunology, neurology, oncology, cardiology, and biomedical imaging. The project represents an expansion of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center and may include an animal research vivarium and a cage wash. Occupancy is expected in December of 2021. 

The University of Michigan-Flint broke ground in October of 2018 on a 65,000-sf expansion of the William R. Murchie Science Building. Creating a third wing, the $39 million project will accommodate expanded STEM programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The collaborative facility will provide faculty and student research labs, engineering labs, a robotics lab, and four interactive classrooms with flexible seating. Completion is expected in July of 2021.

To produce more food for more people with fewer resources, due to climate change and population growth, agricultural bioscience research will need to adopt new research models, including interdisciplinary projects and corporate partnerships, to help fast-track product discovery and development. Timing will be important. “When I first started in agriculture, if you came up with a new corn hybrid, it could be 10 or 12 years before you would grow that hybrid commercially,” says Stephen Briggs, launch director for the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative. “You can’t afford to do that in a 12-year timeframe now. You have to shorten that to two or three years.