Higher Education

Under the leadership of founding dean Chell Roberts, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering at the University of San Diego is revamping its engineering pedagogy and infrastructure to incorporate abundant maker experience. Since his appointment four years ago, Roberts has overseen a 7,000-nsf renovation creating space to house the three phases of the engineering cycle—ideate, prototype, and realize—that replicate the industry model. The aim is to produce graduates who can hit the ground running when they move into their first position in the real-world engineering workplace.

Boston University opened the $140 million Center for Integrated Life Sciences and Engineering (CILSE) in September of 2017. Designed by Payette, the nine-story, 170,000-sf facility houses the Center for Systems Neuroscience, the Biological Design Center, the Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging, and the Center for Sensory Communication and Neuroengineering Technology. The interdisciplinary building features a human Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) suite, a Siemens 3 Tesla MRI, and space for behavioral testing and computational research.

Concordia College opened the $45 million Integrated Science Center in late August of 2017 in Moorhead, Minn. Designed by Foss Architecture and EYP Architecture and Engineering, the 130,200-sf project included the renovation of the existing Ivers and Jones Science Center and construction of a three-story, 58,000-sf atrium. Designed to support interactive, collaborative learning, the interdisciplinary facility provides 19 teaching labs and 16 classrooms, including T-search labs for integrated instructional and research activities.

Armstrong State University broke ground in late August of 2017 on the $22 million Waters College of Health Professions in Savannah, Ga. Designed to accommodate team-based medical education, the interactive 75,000-sf facility will feature technology-rich simulation training labs for undergraduate programs including nursing, public health, physical therapy, and health administration. The project is being created in collaboration with Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, with which Armstrong State’s Savanna campus will eventually merge.

Binghamton University opened the $70 million Smart Energy Building in late August of 2017 in Vestal, N.Y. Located in the Innovative Technologies Complex, the two-story, 114,000-sf project accommodates research and development programs for the departments of chemistry and physics. Supporting the creation of advanced clean energy solutions, the collaborative facility provides laboratories, classrooms, 45 faculty offices, and a total of 125 fume hoods.

There are positive signs that funding for scientific research will not only be maintained, but will once again increase. Earlier this month, the Senate Appropriations Committee overwhelmingly approved $36.1 billion for the National Institutes of Health for the upcoming fiscal year. If approved intact, it will mark the third consecutive year that the NIH receives a $2 billion increase. The House Appropriations Committee already approved a $1.1 billion increase.

Saint Paul College opened the $20 million Health and Science Alliance Center in September of 2017 in St. Paul, Minn. Designed by Bentz/Thompson/Rietow and Oliver & Associates with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the four-story, 45,000-sf facility provides two flexible classrooms for STEM and health science programs, four science labs, two simulation labs, three general classrooms, and three classrooms supporting industry partnerships.

Rhodes College dedicated the $34 million Robertson Hall in late August of 2017. Designed by Hanbury to support an interactive, experiential pedagogy, the 55,000-sf science facility houses six teaching labs, five research labs, two classrooms, faculty offices, and collaborative study areas. The sustainably designed building features automated LED lighting, sophisticated building systems, and areas with floor-to-ceiling glazing.

The University of Oklahoma is constructing the 70,000-sf Gallogly Hall in Norman. Housing the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, the facility will provide advanced classrooms, teaching and research labs, group meeting areas, a makerspace, a rooftop terrace, and an interaction lounge. Comprising four stories and a basement level, the building will also house the offices of the Diversity and Inclusion program. Ground was broken on the project in April of 2017 and occupancy is expected in September of 2019. 

Providence College is engaged in a $50 million expansion and renovation of the Albertus Magnus Science Complex in Providence, R.I. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the project includes construction of a three-story, 36,000-gsf addition that will act as a new front entrance, and renovation of 70,000 gsf in three existing buildings accommodating programs in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, physics, and psychology.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) recently completed the construction and fit-out of their new Life Science Laboratories after receiving a $95 million grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC)—a quasi-state agency dedicated to growing the state’s life sciences industry. The new interdisciplinary research wing features state-of-the-art equipment and core resources that will be shared across multiple research teams and industry partnerships. While the new core labs were built into a pre-existing shell with an open floorplate and operational MEP, the final design was driven by the cost-intensive equipment list. Since the agency grant designated a specific amount of funding for the equipment, the type of equipment was known but exact model and vendor was not known before many of the other design and programming decisions were made. 

Wentworth Institute of Technology is building the $55 million Multipurpose Academic Building on its Boston campus. Designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates Architects, the 75,000-sf facility will provide classrooms, labs, lecture halls, meeting rooms, and collaborative teaching and learning spaces. The four-story building will accommodate programs in biomedical, biological, and civil engineering, as well as housing the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center. The construction manager for the project is Gilbane Building Company.

Colorado State University broke ground in August of 2017 on the $23.3 million Health Education Outreach Center in Fort Collins. Designed by Hord Coplan Macht to promote interaction and collaboration, the four-story, 39,600-sf facility will provide advanced teaching labs for anatomy and neuroanatomy, study areas, and space for community events. The project team includes Research Facilities Design as laboratory design consultant and general contractor Haselden Construction.

The South Dakota Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory broke ground in August of 2017 on a $58 million expansion and renovation of its Brookings facility. Located on the campus of South Dakota State University, the project includes 81,000 sf of new construction, including 3,762 sf of BSL-3 space and BSL-2E necropsy space. The existing laboratory space will subsequently be renovated. The project will support diagnostic testing and vaccine development for the prevention of infectious diseases. Completion is expected in 2020.

Portland State University and Oregon Health and Science University are partnering to create an academic health center in Portland. The $100 million facility will house the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, PSU’s Graduate School of Education, a dental clinic for Portland Community College, and offices for the city of Portland. Construction will begin in fall of 2017 on the nine-story, 200,000-sf facility. Completion is expected in 2020.