Modernization

Houston Baptist University is planning to construct a $50 million complex for the College of Science and Engineering and the School of Nursing and Allied Health. Designed by Huitt-Zollars, the 112,300-sf project will include the renovation of two existing buildings and construction of a 53,000-sf facility to provide leading-edge classrooms and laboratories, clinical simulation suites, collaboration spaces, study areas, and informal interaction zones.

The University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are building the Immune Transplant and Therapy Center in Bloomfield. Developed in partnership with Wexford Science & Technology, the $250 million project involves the transformation of a former Ford assembly plant and showroom into an eight-story innovation hub accommodating research on immunotherapy, cancer, chronic diseases, aging, and transplantation.

Beloit College dedicated the Powerhouse in February of 2020 in Beloit, Wis. Designed by Studio Gang, the $38 million project included the redevelopment of a decommissioned power plant to create a unique campus hub housing a recreation center, a student union, and an athletics facility. The 120,000-sf riverside complex offers a 160-seat auditorium, meeting and seminar rooms, informal gathering spaces, a swimming pool, a 10,000-sf fitness center, a 17,000-sf recreational gym, a 200-person event space, an elevated indoor track, and a café.

Radford University opened the Artis College of Science and Technology in February of 2020 in Radford, Va. Designed and engineered by CannonDesign, the $34 million project included a complete renovation of Reed Hall and Curie Hall, as well as construction of the connecting Center for the Sciences, a two-story collaboration hub offering meeting rooms, a commons area, study spaces, and offices.

The Ohio State University is planning to build the $155.9 million Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Center in Columbus. Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects and Acock Associates Architects, the project includes the renovation of 150,000 sf in Hamilton Hall and construction of an adjacent 100,000-sf facility to create a collaborative hub for interprofessional education.

The Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult opened the Catapult Innovation Centre in December of 2019 in Newport, Wales. Designed as a locus for the region’s growing high-tech industry, the facility provides sophisticated cleanrooms, a design studio, open-plan offices, a boardroom, conference and breakout rooms, a collaborative amphitheater, an advanced packaging suite, and R&D labs for photonics, radio frequencies, and power electronics.

Gannon University is building the Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge (I-HACK) in Erie, Pa. The $20 million project involves the renovation and expansion of an existing six-story tower to accommodate leading-edge programs in cybersecurity, cyber engineering, healthcare systems, computer-based applications, and business management. The first $13 million construction phase includes the creation of an entrance lobby on the first floor, with the second floor accommodating the Pierre McCormick Cyber Learning Center.

The University of Strathclyde is renovating Wolfson Hall to house its department of biomedical engineering. Designed by McLean Architects and Wellwood Leslie Architects, the £15.5 million project will create new teaching and research labs, flexible instructional venues, engaging spaces for interaction and collaboration, and additional offices for faculty, staff, and graduate students.

Virginia Tech is renovating and expanding Holden Hall in Blacksburg. The existing 42,100-gsf building houses engineering programs in mining, minerals, and materials science. The project includes a complete renovation of the central structure, as well as demolition of two single-story wings and construction of a three-story wing and a four-story wing.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory opened the Center for Therapeutic Research in late October of 2019 in Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. Designed by Centerbrook Architects and Planners, the $75 million project involved the renovation and expansion of the existing Demerec Laboratory to create a 26,000-sf biomedical facility for the creation of advanced therapies for genetic diseases including cancer, diabetes, obesity, and autism.

Most academic science buildings constructed in the mid-20th century were not designed to support the interdisciplinary, collaborative, and entrepreneurial dynamics of modern engineering teaching and research that occupy these buildings today. While motivations for renovation can range from the need to update outdated building systems, to the desire to improve the school’s ability to recruit new talent and donors, most major renewal projects share similar challenges of aging infrastructure, complex logistics, and phased implementation. Using examples from recent renovations at Cornell University, Ohio State University, and the University of Massachusetts, principals from Perkins+Will share how these and other challenges can be addressed.

Northwestern University is continually working to grow and improve the quality of its research space inventory. A 2017 renovation and expansion of the Seeley G. Mudd Science and Engineering Library—situated in a prime location on the Evanston, Ill., campus—transformed a non-science building into a focal point of the university’s science complex. A desire to maximize research space within the constrained site resulted in a unique solution that leveraged both horizontal and vertical expansion.

Indiana State University opened the College of Health and Human Services in August of 2019 in Terre Haute, Ind. Collocating programs in nursing, social work, applied health science, and kinesiology and sports medicine, the collaborative 185,000-sf complex offers leading-edge facilities for education, training, and research. The first phase of the project was completed in 2018 and included construction of a four-story, 85,000-sf addition housing classrooms and offices.

Procter & Gamble is engaged in a $50 million renovation and expansion of the Reading Gillette Innovation Centre in the United Kingdom. The project includes the construction of new research labs and the renovation of an existing building and associated warehouses to create a two-story, 75,300-sf complex to house the Health Care Innovation Laboratories. Completion is expected in late 2019 with occupancy in 2020.

Michigan State University is building the $97.5 million STEM Teaching and Learning Facility in East Lansing. Designed by Ellenzweig and Integrated Design Solutions, the 175,880-gsf project includes the renovation of 40,000 sf in the former Shaw Lane Power Plant to house the Learning Innovation Center, a commons area, maker spaces, and faculty and staff offices.