Appalachian State University opened the $79 million Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences in August of 2018 in Boone, N.C. Designed by LS3P, the five-story, 203,000-gsf project provides consolidated teaching and research space for the Beaver College of Health Sciences.
Simon Fraser University is constructing the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering Program (SE3P) building in Surrey, British Columbia. Designed by Revery Architecture with Research Facilities Design as laboratory design consultant, the CAD$116 million fast-track project is being constructed with 330 precast concrete architectural components supplied by Surespan Structures.
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology will break ground in October of 2018 on a $29 million academic building in Terre Haute, Ind. Featuring a glass-walled atrium to showcase internal activities, the three-story, 60,000-sf facility will provide design studios, collaborative workspaces, faculty research suites, breakout rooms, and six flexible classrooms.
Iowa State University is planning a $28 million expansion of the Gerdin Business Building in Ames. Designed to enhance programmatic visibility, the collaborative 40,000-sf addition will provide classrooms, faculty offices, computer labs, study spaces, and a multipurpose atrium. The original structure was designed by ZGF Architects and completed in 2003. Construction will begin on the project in spring of 2019 with completion expected by 2021.
Memorial University is building the $325 million Core Science Facility in St. John's, Newfoundland. Designed by HOK Architects and Hearn Fougere Architects to promote integration and interaction, the multidisciplinary project comprises three tower blocks offering teaching and research labs, offices, and technology-rich learning environments for the departments of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, and electrical and computer engineering.
Active learning, collaborative spaces, real-world connections, a purposeful focus on “soft skills,” and a grounding in liberal arts and sciences all combine in Jefferson’s Nexus Learning approach to develop and support work-ready graduates. “Nexus Learning is based on a suite of strategies that ensures our graduates are prepared to succeed in their professions or graduate school,” says Jeffrey Ashley, PhD, chemistry professor and director of the Center for Teaching Innovation and Nexus Learning at Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University). Nexus Learning appears to be on target in this mission, with 97 percent of undergraduates working in their disciplines or accepted to graduate school within four months of graduation.
Wittenberg University is building the $53 million Health, Wellness & Athletics Complex in Springfield, Ohio. The 260,000-sf facility will provide technology-rich classrooms for academic programs in exercise science and sports management, faculty offices, training areas for sports teams, locker rooms, and a fitness center with a 7,000-sf weight room. The complex will feature a six-lane, 300-meter indoor track, a 100-yard artificial turf surface, and courts for tennis, volleyball, and basketball.
The University of Birmingham broke ground in August of 2018 on a 136,500-sf facility for the School of Engineering in the United Kingdom. Located on the Edgbaston campus, the building will provide 26,900 sf of dedicated research space for the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN). Designed by Associated Architects to promote innovation through collaboration with industry partners, the facility will include labs, design studios, and meeting spaces arranged around an atrium containing flexible learning environments.
UT Southwestern Medical Center and Texas Health Resources are partnering to build the $270 million Texas Health Hospital Frisco. The 325,000-sf complex will offer an 80-bed acute care hospital with a 24/7 emergency department, surgical services, women’s services, and a neonatal intensive care unit. A 120,000-sf medical office will accommodate multiple medical specialties including space for the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute and the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. Occupancy is expected in late 2019.
The University of Pennsylvania is building the $75 million Wharton Academic Research Building in Philadelphia. Designed by MGA Partners, the 65,000-gsf project will provide four flours of academic and research space, including flat-floor classrooms, group study areas, laboratories, and shared conference rooms. On the ground level, a new electrical substation and enclosed loading dock will be built to replace existing facilities. Construction began on the project in spring of 2018 and completion is expected in summer of 2020.
Boeing will lease approximately 100,000 sf of research space to house the Aerospace and Autonomy Center in Cambridge, Mass. Part of MIT's Kendall Square Initiative project, the facility will be located on four floors of a 17-story, 400,000-sf building currently under construction at 314 Main Street. Occupancy is expected in late 2020. The $2 billion Kendall Square Initiative includes the development of six sites to provide research space, offices, housing, retail, and academic facilities.
The University of Edinburgh is initiating a £90 million renovation and expansion of the Darwin Laboratory Building to accommodate the School of Biological Sciences. Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, the project will include construction of two new laboratory buildings totaling 46,300 sf and a 21,500-sf hub providing meeting rooms, offices, and a café.
The College of Engineering, one of 15 colleges and schools at Cornell University, has 21 percent of the undergraduate population, 32 percent of the graduate population, and 10 percent of the square footage of the campus. As part of the college master plan, Upson Hall, originally built in the 1950s, and one of the largest buildings on the engineering quad, was in line for modernization. The plan called for improving energy efficiency, providing student and faculty collaborative space, and creating wet, hybrid, nano-, bio-, and chemical engineering labs. Since the building is well-located and structurally sound, with good floor-to-floor heights for labs, the decision was to renovate the existing structure, rather than undertake new construction. The project, a complete gut and renovation of the 160,000-gsf building, scheduled in two approximately year-long phases, was completed in August 2017.
UMass Memorial Medical Center is engaged in a multi-phase modernization initiative at its Worcester hospital campus. Upgrades to major public spaces have been completed, including a new atrium in the main pedestrian artery. Comprising 250,000 sf, the MC2020 modernization project was designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative and is being built by Consigli Construction. The current phase involves upgrades to interior finishes and spaces including corridors, department entries, wayfinding graphics, and the chapel.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is planning a $75.4 million renovation and expansion of its engineering complex. Construction will begin in June of 2019 on the demolition and replacement of the Link, a 25,307-gsf structure connecting Scott Engineering Center to Nebraska Hall. Slated for completion in summer of 2022, the new 87,000-gsf facility will accommodate leading-edge research labs and support. A new mechanical tower will also be constructed.
