Sustainability

The University at Albany broke ground in April of 2018 on the $180 million Emerging Technology and Entrepreneurship Complex (ETEC) in Albany, N.Y. Designed by CannonDesign to foster collaboration with industry partners, the 245,000-sf facility will house UAlbany’s College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity; the Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences; the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center; and the New York State Mesonet, the nation’s most advanced weather-detection system.

The University of Leicester began construction in March of 2018 on an expansion of its existing student union building in the United Kingdom. Designed by Shepheard Epstein Hunter, the mixed-use project includes the addition of a four-story extension to the east wing which will house a large food court, social learning spaces, and an informatics labs to support programs in information science. A new façade and entrance will also be created to enhance campus connectivity.

The University of Cincinnati is building a new facility for the Carl H. Linder School of Business. Designed by Henning Larsen Architects to promote interaction and collaboration, the $120 million project will provide over 240 faculty offices, a three-story atrium, a 250-seat auditorium, and a 150-seat, two-story lecture hall. The four-story, 225,000-sf project will also offer research labs, flexible classrooms, exam and tutoring areas, numerous huddle and breakout rooms, a variety of open workspaces, and two spacious courtyards.

The University of Nottingham began construction in March of 2018 on the third phase of the Centre for Biomolecular Sciences (CBS) in the United Kingdom. Located on the University Park Campus, the five-story 65,000-sf facility will provide biomedical research labs for the study of cancer and cardiovascular, respiratory, bone, and liver diseases. Designed by Benoy to promote collaboration by collocating researchers in one purpose-built structure, the center will include pedestrian bridges to the Boots Science Building and the existing CBS complex.

George Brown College is planning to begin construction in 2021 on the Arbour, a 10-story, 175,000-sf mass timber building. Located on a brownfield site on the Toronto waterfront, the net-positive, carbon-neutral facility will house the Tall Wood Research Institute, the School of Computer Technology, flexible classrooms, research space for sustainable building technologies, and a childcare facility.

Seneca College is constructing the CAD$85 million Centre for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship in North York, Ontario. Designed by Perkins+Will, the five-story, 274,000-sf building will offer integrated facilities for applied research and commercialization, specialized training, and business incubation. Supporting the development of industry partnerships, the project will provide collaborative laboratories, maker spaces, instrumentation suites, classrooms, and a large atrium and event space.

The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering announced the category winners for 2018 ISPE Facility of the Year Awards in March of 2018. The awards include: 

The University of Lethbridge is constructing the CAD$280 million Destination Project in Alberta, Canada. Supporting multidisciplinary science programs, the 387,500-sf building will provide flexible teaching and research labs, academic classrooms, meeting rooms, gathering areas, and a central atrium. Designed to foster entrepreneurship and the commercialization of research discoveries, the facility will include incubator space for industry partners as well as a community education venue offering interactive science displays.

The University of Canterbury opened the first phase of the NZD$220 million Rutherford Regional Science and Innovation Centre in February of 2018 in Christchurch, New Zealand. Designed by Jasmax in association with laboratory design consultant DJRD, the Ernest Rutherford building provides technology-rich teaching and research space for the College of Science.

Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology opened the Project Centre for Biomedical Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing (BEAM) in March of 2018 in Hamilton, Ontario. Located in the McMaster Innovation Park, the $33 million project involved the renovation and fit-out of an existing warehouse to create a 20,000-sf innovation center offering research, office, and manufacturing space. An additional 20,000 sf on the second floor will house laboratories and offices in the future.

Duke University began construction in March of 2017 on a $115 million facility for the Pratt School of Engineering. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the five-story, 150,000-gsf (88,000-nsf) building will feature two floors focused on active student learning, offering classrooms, teaching and design labs, a 200-seat auditorium, a Learning Commons, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Center for Energy, Engineering and Environment.

Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) has mandated that Building Information Modeling (BIM) be implemented in the final phase of its $9 billion construction program. LACCD, which is the largest community college district in the United States and comprises nine colleges, is also targeting net-zero energy consumption in the sustainable development of its extensive portfolio.

Cañada College will begin construction in spring of 2018 on the Math, Science and Technology building in Redwood City, Calif. The three-story, 50,000-sf facility will offer flexible classrooms, teaching labs, faculty offices, and an indoor/outdoor learning commons. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the net-zero project, which will also participate in the PG&E Savings by Design Program, which provides services to help meet and exceed California’s Title 24 energy efficiency requirements.

What the university needs: A spacious, modern science building, with an additional 5,000 sf. What the university has: An old, dark, rather cramped classroom building, built for a different era in education, with inadequate systems, and no room to expand. It’s a common problem on university campuses, and in many cases solving it requires flexibility, creativity, and patience. At the University of Pittsburgh, Howard Skoke, AIA, of EwingCole Architects and Engineers and the university’s own Ilona Beresford worked together on a six-month master plan to devise a $65 million modernization. The project, scheduled to begin construction in May 2019, will open the building to new uses and adapt its systems for health and efficiency. At the same time, it will preserve a historic exterior and cost far less than a new building.

California State University-Chico will break ground in fall of 2018 on a $101 million physical sciences building. Providing teaching labs for chemistry, physics, geology, and science education, the four-story, 110,200-sf STEM facility will include active learning classrooms, graduate research studios, collaboration spaces, administrative and faculty offices, and an interactive lab for elementary school programs.