Ferris State University will begin construction in May of 2021 on the $29.5 million Center for Virtual Learning in Big Rapids, Mich. Designed by Stantec, the 64,000-sf facility will provide a centralized home for the university's online education activities. Accommodating current and future advances in virtual learning approaches, the project will feature unique adaptable environments for digital content creation and instruction.
The University of Texas at San Antonio broke ground in January of 2021 on a $90 million facility for the School of Data Science and the National Security Collaboration Center. Designed by Jacobs and Overland Partners, the six-story, 167,000-sf structure will provide the School of Data Science with 86,000 sf of classrooms, labs, and offices for the departments of computer science, computer engineering, statistics and data sciences, and information systems and cybersecurity.
BioMed Realty is planning to create a life sciences innovation campus in Somerville, Mass. The project includes the renovation of an existing 162,000-sf office building and the construction of new facilities on an adjacent 7.5-acre parcel. Offering leasable environments for biomedical, pharmaceutical, and technology companies, the Assembly Square complex will provide 1.3 million sf of research, corporate, and retail space. The mixed-use development will feature multiple roof terraces and a one-acre public park. BioMed Realty acquired the property in early 2021.
Western Colorado University opened the Paul M. Rady School of Computer Science and Engineering in Gunnison in January of 2021. Designed by Farnsworth Group with Research Facilities Design (RFD) as laboratory design consultant, the 75,000-sf building provides experiential learning classrooms, laboratories, instrumentation suites, lecture halls, collaboration spaces, faculty offices, and a central gallery with a canted glass curtainwall.
Western Washington University is planning to construct the $68 million Kaiser Borsari Hall in Bellingham. Designed by Perkins+Will, the 40,000-sf structure will accommodate the school's growing programs in computer science and electrical engineering. The collaborative four-story building will provide experiential learning venues, teaching and research labs, classrooms, offices, breakout areas, a multicultural student lounge, a commons, and a mechanical basement.
The University of Virginia is planning to construct the School of Data Science in Charlottesville. Designed by Hopkins Architects and VMDO, the four-story, 61,000-sf facility will feature four adaptive classrooms with integrated technologies to enhance learning and interaction. Illuminated by abundant natural light, the highly transparent structure will include a double-height venue for lectures and events, a collaborative central staircase, and faculty offices with operable windows for improved ventilation.
The University of Florida broke ground in December of 2020 on the $150 million Malachowsky Hall for Data Science & Information Technology in Gainesville. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the 263,000-sf facility will be a dynamic research hub for the application of computing, communication, and cyber technologies to a broad spectrum of areas including health care, pharmacology, security, and fundamental science.
The University of Nebraska Medical Center dedicated the Dr. Edwin G. & Dorothy Balbach Davis Global Center in October of 2020 in Omaha. Serving as the headquarters for the Interprofessional Experiential Center for Enduring Learning (iEXCEL), the $122 million facility provides advanced simulation environments where students can master clinical skills in real-world settings.
BMW Group opened the FIZ Projekthaus Nord complex in Munich in September of 2020. Representing an expansion of the company's existing R&D campus, the collaborative facility provides 1.6 billion square feet of space for engineering, research, collaboration, and administration. Comprising two office structures and a test-bench building, the integrated complex offers a dynamically connected work environment enabled by 20,000 servers and a data storage capacity of 90 petabytes.
Johnson Controls opened the $37 million OpenBlue Innovation Center at the National University of Singapore in September of 2020. Located in the School of Design and Environment's SDE4 building, the 2,600-sf facility is a living laboratory for the development of customizable, contact-free applications built on Johnson Controls' unifying digital technology suite, OpenBlue.
The University of Tennessee at Martin broke ground on the $65 million Latimer Engineering and Science Building in September of 2020. Designed to foster cross-disciplinary innovation and discovery, the 120,000-sf STEM facility will offer teaching labs, student research labs, and classrooms for the departments of mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering, chemistry, and physics. The three-story structure will also include an entrepreneurship hub and collaborative project areas. Occupancy is expected in fall of 2022.
The University of North Carolina Wilmington opened the $66 million Veterans Hall in August of 2020. Housing the College of Health and Human Services, the 145,000-sf facility accommodates programs in nursing, social work, allied health, and exercise science.
The University of Nevada, Reno opened the $92 million William N. Pennington Engineering Building in August of 2020. Designed by H+K Architects, the 100,000-sf facility offers dedicated space for the departments of chemical and materials engineering, civil and environmental engineering, electrical and biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science. The collaborative four-story building provides 40 labs, a 200-seat classroom, two computer labs, 40 faculty offices, and 150 graduate student workstations.
The University of Nebraska at Kearney opened the $30 million Discovery Hall in September of 2020. Offering technology-rich labs and classrooms for experiential learning, the three-story, 90,000-sf facility accommodates STEM programs in mathematics, engineering, physics, astronomy, construction management, industrial distribution, interior design, aviation, computer science, and information technology.
The National Air and Space Intelligence Center awarded Messer Construction a $126.3 million contract in August of 2020 to build the final phase of the Intelligence Production Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Offering collaboration spaces and workstations for 980 analysts, the five-story complex will provide an additional 255,000 sf of Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) space.
