Higher Education

Southwestern College completed its $52 million Wellness and Aquatics Complex in January of 2018 in Chula Vista, Calif. Designed by Gensler, the three-story, 75,000-asf facility provides classrooms, fitness labs, exercise rooms, offices, locker rooms, a competitive gymnasium, a 25-meter therapy pool, and two Olympic-sized swimming pools. Replacing existing sports science and recreation facilities, the building is strategically sited adjacent to DeVore Stadium and the Fieldhouse Classroom.

The Greer Environmental Sciences Center at Virginia Wesleyan University is the institution’s response to a nearly 100 percent enrollment increase in their environmental sciences and biology department over five years. Located near the Chesapeake Bay, in Virginia Beach, the new 40,000-sf academic science building expands the university’s existing facilities to increase collaboration between science disciplines and regional partners, leveraging the school’s location at the mouth of the James River, where the 300-acre campus maintains a park-like setting with old growth forests and native wetlands in the middle of a dense, rapidly growing urban center.

Webster University’s new Browning Hall, Interdisciplinary Science Building, has transformed the university’s focus on science by tripling the number of science labs on campus. The 84,000-sf facility houses the departments of anthropology and sociology, biological sciences, international language and cultures, nurse anesthesia, nursing, and psychology, and the Institute for Human Rights & Humanitarian Studies.

Boston University's National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) has received final approval from the Boston Public Health Commission to conduct research at Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4).  After years of scrutiny by regulatory agencies and city, state, and federal officials, the $200 million laboratory will now be able to work with approved BSL-4 pathogens such as Ebola and Marburg.

Oregon State University is building the $79.5 million Forest Science Complex in Corvallis. The 85,000-sf project includes construction of the 20,000-sf Advanced Wood Building Products Laboratory, which will feature high bay research space, robotic manufacturing systems, and a strong floor for full-scale product testing. Completion is expected in January of 2020. An academic building supporting programs in forestry, wood science, and renewable materials will also be constructed.

The University of Illinois at Chicago broke ground on a $100 million mixed-use living and learning complex in January of 2018. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, the project includes a 10-story undergraduate residence hall and a two-story academic building.

San Diego State University dedicated the $95 million Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences Complex in January of 2018. Designed by AC Martin Architects to promote interaction and collaboration, the 85,000-sf project provides 11,500 sf of instructional space and 17 multidisciplinary labs with advanced instrumentation. The five-story facility features a nanofabrication suite, a creative design center, and an entrepreneurship hub.

Indiana University Health broke ground in January of 2018 on the $400 million Bloomington Regional Academic Health Center. Supporting collaborative interprofessional education, the 735,000-sf complex will include a technology-rich simulation training center and the $45 million, 115,000-sf Academic Health Sciences building to accommodate programs in medicine, nursing, social work, dentistry, and speech and hearing sciences.

The University of Washington opened the $87.8 million Nanoengineering & Sciences Building in December of 2017 in Seattle. Designed by ZGF, the 90,300-gsf interdisciplinary facility provides advanced research and teaching spaces for the departments of bioengineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, and materials sciences. Strategically sited and constructed to minimize vibration, the building is located adjacent to the existing Molecular Engineering and Sciences Institute to foster collaboration.

The Boston Society of Architects announced the winners of its 2017 design award in January of 2018.

College of the Canyons broke ground on its 55,000-sf Science Center in January of 2018 in Santa Clarita, Calif. Primarily accommodating programs in the physical and biological sciences, the four-story building will provide eight labs, 10 science service rooms, 24 faculty offices, group study rooms, computer labs, classrooms, and a 75-seat lecture hall. Completion is expected in late 2019. College of the Canyons is also planning to construct the four-story Student Services and Learning Resources Building.

University College Birmingham broke ground in January of 2018 on a £29 million teaching and sports science facility in the United Kingdom. Accommodating both graduate and undergraduate programs, the four-story, 91,500-sf building will provide eight classrooms, three 100-seat lecture halls, faculty and staff offices, and flexible learning spaces. The facility will feature a spacious dining area, an advanced gymnasium, and a 115-ft indoor running track for performance and speed assessments.

Georgia State University is planning to construct a $35 million biocontainment research facility in Atlanta. Located on the Downtown campus, the 55,000-sf building will provide BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratories for the study of infectious diseases and select agents. The project, which will be the first academic BSL-4 facility in the Southeast, will include open research labs, offices, and support space. 

The University of Tennessee is constructing the $118 million Ken and Blaire Mossman Building in Knoxville. Designed by McCarty Holsaple McCarty and Lord Aeck Sargent, the six-story, 222,000-sf facility will accommodate programs in microbiology, psychology, nutrition, biochemistry, and cellular and molecular biology. Offering spaces for both structured and unstructured interaction, the collaborative project includes classrooms ranging from 81 to 126 seats, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, a 228-seat auditorium, and a café.

The SUNY College at Oneonta’s extensive rehabilitation of the Physical Science Building (PSB) includes renovation of 58,000 gsf and 18,000 gsf in new construction. The 1970s brick building with a concrete structure required replacement of about 70 percent of the exterior envelope, including the northwestern elevation to control glare and solar heat gain. The brick addition complements the style of the campus at large, with syncopated windows facing southeast, and glass and metal panel accents all around.