CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson University is currently in the midst of the largest campus development initiative in its history, implementing a facilities plan designed to help place it in the public eye among the best institutions of learning in America.

Students have not simply been spectators in the process but have rather been active participants in every stage. Faculty well-versed in construction science and management, civil engineering and the School of Architecture have capitalized on the construction boom by working campus projects into their curriculums, turning job sites into classrooms.

By teaming up with Clemson’s Facilities department and the general contractors of major projects like the new College of Business facility, professors have been able to offer students real-world, hands-on experiences with the construction process that could never be replicated in a traditional classroom.

“We have a perfect learning lab here,” said Paul Borick, senior project manager for Clemson Facilities, who organizes site tours and facilitates building-related learning opportunities for students and professors. “This is a great opportunity for students to see footings, concrete foundation walls, structural steel framing and the most modern equipment and construction methodologies in action — some students sat in on our early design meetings.

Construction of the nearly 180,000-square-foot College of Business facility is a prime example of these learning opportunities. Nestled into the hillside across from Bowman Field, the new home for business education at Clemson is quickly rising from the ground. When finished, it will nearly double the space available in historic Sirrine Hall, the college’s current home.

The project will feature two towers, North and South, connected on the ground and first floors by an expansive outdoor stairway and plaza, and by an interior hallway on the building’s ground floor. The majority of the North Tower will comprise classrooms and labs, while the four-story South Tower will primarily house faculty and staff offices and workspaces.

The new home for the College of Business is set to open in 2020 and will provide the Clemson community with a think tank environment, bringing students, faculty and industry together in a collaborative, inspiring space that is forward-thinking in its design and daily application. Business students will have the kind of attractive environment that compels them to work, engage, study, ask hard questions, challenge themselves and work together.

As the construction manager of record, DPR is charged with balancing the project’s scope, schedule and budget, and coordinating the subcontractor trades. DPR is teamed up with Greenville contractor Sherman Construction on the project. DPR and Sherman also built Clemson’s new 142,500-square-foot Football Operations Center, which opened last year.

Wendy York, dean of the College of Business, says the new building is a sign of the commitment university leadership has made to the future of business education at Clemson.

“This world-class learning facility will become a magnet for drawing quality students in pursuit of a business degree that will open doors for them,” said York. “And its location, in the heart of campus, will tell all who pass by that Clemson means business.”

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GREENSBORO, N.C. — UNC Greensboro recently announced that it is moving forward with the construction of a new and sustainable Nursing and Instructional building.

LS3P Associates Ltd. is the Architect-of-Record and SmithGroupJJR is the Design Architect on the project.

Set to make its debut in spring of 2020, UNCG’s Nursing and Instructional Building project includes the demolition of the McIver Building and construction of a new four-story facility that will house the School of Nursing which is currently located in four buildings.

The facility will also provide teaching and flexible laboratory research space for the School of Health and Human Sciences and the Departments of Biology and Chemistry, in addition to providing more space for the School of Nursing, .

In addition to housing 39 labs, 14 classrooms, nine research suites and a community engagement center, the 180,000-square-foot facility is said to be a shining example of sustainable building and design with UNCG currently pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification or higher for the project.

Charlotte-based Rodgers Builders, Inc. is providing construction management, preconstruction, and virtual construction services for the project. Construction includes three components that include demolition of the existing McIver Building, construction of the new Nursing and Instructional building, and construction of the South Chiller Plant, providing capacity for the new building and enhancing reliability of the campus chilled water system.

Builders and designers are now working to incorporate a number of cost-effective and innovative elements that will support the environment as well as health and wellness.

One element includes bioretention and water management. The new building will have a bioretention system, where contaminants and sedimentation will be removed from stormwater runoff. Designers also employed biophilic methods, designing with materials, colors and light in a way that connects people with nature.

Chris Roberts, principal and studio leader at LS3P Associates Ltd., calls it “bringing the outdoors in.”

The building was strategically laid out to avoid critical root zones in existing trees. It’s five-story atrium runs down the middle of the building, creating a lively, open space with natural light and a main staircase, and pedestrian pathways and vegetated pathways located outside of the energy-efficient building.

“A lab building is an energy hog,” said Roberts. “The fact that this building will have labs and classrooms and still be one of the better energy-performing buildings on campus is a big deal.”

Additional eco-friendly features of the new Nursing and Instructional building include:

• Peak energy output from the Photovoltaic panels on the roof that is expected to be only 1 to 2 percent over a year
• Energy-efficiency: LED lights that will be installed throughout the building
• Heat recovery: Exhaust air will preheat unconditioned air entering the building
• Material reuse: Catalpa trees from the McIver Building site were salvaged, milled and treated and will be built into the outdoor classroom
• Vegetated roof: Portions of a roof patio will include natural planted areas to reduce solar heat gain and pre-treat water runoff
• Low-slope high albedo roof design: to reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat than traditional dark-colored roofs
• Roof pavers: made of recycled materials

“We love to try to incorporate these things but are rarely able to,” said Roberts. “It’s exciting to see so many interventions within one project. I applaud UNCG for such a strong focus on sustainability, and they really embraced these ideas throughout the design.”

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