When complete, the new housing facilities will feature classrooms, study rooms, TV lounges and laundry facilities in a addition to student living spaces. A large patio area, fireplaces and lobbies will accommodate art shows, student events, university functions and various types of entertainment for residents year round, according to a statement by EdR of Memphis, Tenn., the project’s developer.

EdR will complete the project via a private-public partnership with the university. The firm was chosen through a competitive selection process to execute all aspects — including development, financing, construction and management — of the project, which will be the largest in the university’s history, according to a statement by the firm. Upon completion, EdR will operate the residence halls under a 75-year lease with NMU and will manage the facility while NMU will provide residence life services. EdR will finance the approximately $80 million housing development through its ONE Plan, which uses the company’s equity and financial stability to fund projects on university land, according to a statement by the firm.

"I think the enhanced on-campus housing is an incredibly positive, transformative opportunity for [NMU]," said NMU President Fritz Erickson in a statement. "It is going to allow us to greatly strengthen our capabilities to recruit and retain students in today’s highly competitive education environment, enrich student life and address a very serious facilities and maintenance issue."

"University leadership has made it clear that increased recruitment, enrollment and retention of top-level students is a priority at Northern Michigan University," said Tom Trubiana, EdR president, in a statement. "Partnering with NMU provides EdR the opportunity to deliver another on-campus housing community that gives the university both a state-of-the-art home for many of its students and a recruiting tool that will compete with any in the nation."

EdR selected Detroit-based Walbridge to manage construction of the six new residence hall buildings, which were designed by Neumann/Smith Architecture with offices in Detroit and Southfield, Mich. Neumann/Smith is also responsible for the redesign of the campus’ John X. Jamrich Hall — formerly a general use classroom building — into a high-tech, flexible, active learning environment that anticipates LEED BD+C certification.

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Santa Ana, Calif.-headquartered SVA Architects and global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm HOK designed the 153,000-square-foot events center and arena, which will seat 5,050 people with room to expand to more than 6,500. CBU selected Tempe, Ariz.-headquartered Sundt Construction Inc. as the general contractor for the $73 million project, which will create the 66-year-old university’s largest gathering space to accommodate a surge in growth in recent years.

“Not only will this facility create additional event space for the university’s fast-growing student body, but it will support all facets of their athletic, academic and spiritual life program,” said Sundt Vice President Robert Stokes in a statement.

The two-story, multi-use facility will be a hub for CBU athletic events, commencement exercises and orientation activities, along with the university’s chapel program, which serves more than 5,000 students a week. The structure will also feature locker rooms for home and visiting teams as well as a new athletics suite and offices.

The facility is expected to be complete in April 2017, in time for CBU commencement ceremonies in May.

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The modern and visually engaging building features 35 research and teaching laboratories, 9,000 square feet of faculty research space, a 273-seat auditorium and a three-story green roof. Los Angeles-based CO Architects served as the architect on the project, while Pasadena, Calif.-headquartered C.W. Driver served as general contractor and locally based Anthony Mason & Associates was the project’s construction manager.

The project team was primarily charged with upgrading the university’s science facilities in a way that would keep the university competitive in the sciences, accommodate growing interest in the field and ultimately meet the needs of students seeking a high-caliber science education, according to Tina Choe, dean of the Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering at LMU.

“The new building has come to embody the university’s commitment to the sciences and the community,” Choe added. “The building promotes best practices in science education in a setting that incorporates some of the latest technologies. The building’s design facilitates active, hands-on experimental work.”

Programmatically, the university moved the science departments from an existing building that didn’t allow for easy or fluid interaction between the various disciplines, according to Arnold Swanborn, LEED AP BD+C, associate principal at CO Architects. “The primary goal was to create a building with an understanding that science is changing and is more interdisciplinary — or rather transdisciplinary,” he said. “The second thing is to really have the building be a tool for teaching, so it’s a building for science but also for natural science and botany.”

A Transparent Design
The facility was designed with new technologies to promote collaboration. Laboratory and research space take the place of traditional classrooms so that students will learn science by putting it into practice and integrating concepts with hands-on work to prepare future scientists.
The project’s objective to put science on display was achieved through openness and transparency in the design. This was carried out not only on the interior of the building via research and teaching labs configured with floor-to-ceiling glass storefronts allowing students to observe what their peers are working on, according to Matthew Wilt, project manager at C.W. Driver, but also on the exterior with an auditorium that features an overhead green roof terrace that functions as an outdoor living laboratory.

“We used a lot of glass, so there’s a lot of transparency from the corridor into the classroom,” Swanborn added. “Science used to be behind doors and walls, but now it’s on display and becomes an interactive layer. That was a pretty important thing for us and involved a lot of relocation and rethinking of the laboratories. Lab planners and professors worked with us to make it a very open building.”

“In a reinterpretation of the classic Spanish Revival vernacular of the campus, we wrapped the program around an active central courtyard, while incorporating a three-story green roof connecting to outdoor terraces,” added Paul Zajfen, FAIA, design principal at CO Architects.

The C.W. Driver team had to account for the hundreds of thousands of pounds of weight created by the green roof, which rests on top of the steel-structured auditorium. To ensure the building would not droop or deflect once the green roof was added, the team used cables to ground and preload the steel structure to account for the future weight prior to installation, Wilt said.

Sustainable design and construction were also key elements of the project. Initially, the university’s goal was to achieve LEED Silver certification, but the project ultimately achieved LEED Gold through a number of measures taken to minimize its environmental impact. For example, the project features more than 8,200 square feet of solar panels that produce approximately 10 percent of the facility’s energy needs. Swanborn added that a significant amount of natural daylight was also introduced into the lab spaces.

Safety & Security
As the building houses sensitive scientific tools, materials and activities, the CO Architects team took specific safety concerns into account during the design process. For instance, Swanborn said that the design team carefully considered how the students would work with explosive and flammable chemicals — not what you would typically consider in a classroom building. In response, the team included things like gas and electrical shutoffs as well as safety showers in every lab. Standard laboratory fume hoods, which Swanborn considers a first line of defense against inhaling toxic chemicals, were included throughout. Other key security elements include security cameras and secure entrances.

Read more about this project in the upcoming June Safety & Security issue of School Construction News, available soon.
 

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The 140,100-square-foot building underwent a $26 million overhaul, adding a state-of-the-art simulation suite and laboratories, technology-rich classrooms and lecture halls, welcoming gathering spaces and an updated faculty office building. The upgrades were the first significant improvements made to the building since its construction in 1966.

Kahler Slater, with offices in Milwaukee and Madison, Wis., was the architecture firm of record, providing planning, architecture and interior design services. The general contractor was Miron Construction Co. Inc., with a head office in Neenah, Wis.

Among the facility’s notable space, the 3,260-square-foot simulation suite will allow nursing students to gain hands-on experience working in environments that closely mimic those in which they will ultimately practice. Replica hospital spaces — including an inpatient room and a large space that can serve as a single trauma room or two exam rooms — are outfitted with equipment, furnishings and other features similar to those found in area hospitals. A simulation apartment will allow students to practice providing in-home and hospice care. Across the hall are two debriefing rooms where students and faculty can review their performance and progress.

Additionally, a new psychology lab will provide expanded research opportunities, while a foreign language instructional drop-in lab will enable students to study at their convenience. New active learning classrooms will facilitate collaboration among students and faculty, while numerous gathering spaces — from the atrium furnished with tables and comfortable seating to a window bench looking into the simulation center — will encourage interaction and spontaneous meetings.

All classrooms are equipped with modern technology such as touchpad controls for lighting and audio-visual equipment and electrical outlets at each seat in the lecture halls to accommodate student laptops. The original steeply raked lecture “pits” have been replaced by wheelchair-accessible spaces. The center’s faculty office building has also been updated with remodeled conference spaces and new lighting, plumbing fixtures, flooring, paint and ceilings.

Clow Social Science Center is located in a busy part of the campus, along a pedestrian mall that leads to two neighboring buildings. As such, the building’s main entrance was reconfigured to offer better circulation around and into the building and to provide a dynamic connection between the interior and exterior.

The building has been designed to USGBC LEED Silver standards.
 

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The project will include a 104,000-square-foot main building and three, adjacent student housing facilities on a 30-acre parcel of land that surrounds the Southern Utah Veterans Home. Beginning with the main building, construction is expected to last through June 2017, with classes starting that fall.

Almost a month behind schedule, Ivins Mayor Chris Hart told St. George News that construction is now on a fast track. A silt fence has been installed around the property as the construction team begins grading for site preparation.

Rocky Vista will admit between 125 and 150 students its first year, with the same number expected the following year, reported St. George News. Thomas N. Told, the school’s dean and chief academic officer, told KSL.com, a local news source, that a large number of students at the medical school’s Parker, Colo., campus are from Utah.

“There was a great deal of interest there,” Rostenthal said to KSL.com. “Primarily most of those candidates would have had to go out of state to pursue their medical education, since obviously the only other medical school is the University of Utah and they have a limited class size. This is our way of being able to keep more Utah residents in state for their medical education.”

The first class of students will be able to start applying as early as May, with interviews planned for September. Medical students will spend the first two years in classes, followed by two years at off-campus, regional hospitals and clinics. Their final two years will be spent in residency programs in the Rocky Mountain region, according to St. George News.

In addition to the new facility, Rocky Vista also acquired the former Snow Canyon Clinic to be used for administrative offices and clinical practice. The building will be renovated this spring and summer, and student interviews will be conducted at the office in the fall.
 

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Project Name: Woodman Family Community and Performance Center
Location: Providence, R.I.
Cost: $27 million (including various campus upgrades)
Start Date: June 2015
Estimated Completion Date: Late 2016
Mission: The facility will serve as the hub of academic, artistic, social and spiritual life for the Moses Brown School campus.
Project Team: DEC Consulting Company LLC (Owner’s Representative); Durkee, Brown, Viveiros & Werenfels (Architect); Shawmut Design & Construction (Construction Manager); Theatre Project Consultants (Theatre Consultant); Odeh Engineers Inc. (Structural Engineer)
Highlights
• The more than 25,000-square-foot performance and assembly facility will replace the school’s 150-year-old Alumni Hall.
• The multi-use facility will feature a main hall capable of holding 540 people for musical theater performances, exhibitions, workshops and many other school and community activities.
• The project will include a renovation to the existing Walter Jones Library, adding a learning and resource center and an archive storage and research facility to house 230 years’ worth of artifacts, books, documents and photos collected by the school.

Project Name: Innovate ABQ Campus at the University of New Mexico
Location: Albuquerque, N.M.
Cost: $35 million (Phase I)
Start Date: Summer 2016
Estimated Completion Date: August 2017
Mission: The Innovate ABQ campus will provide high-tech research and development facilities for University of New Mexico programs as well as five floors of student housing.
Project Team: Signet Development, Goodman Realty Group and Deker/Perich/Sabatini (Project Development Team); Perkins + Will
(Master Planning Firm)
Highlights
• Innovate ABQ aims to create a multi-dimensional, integrated work, live, play community.
• Research and commercial labs, science and technology companies, educational programs, business services, support services, and commercial and retail businesses will share space with a business incubator.
• The 159,000-square-foot mixed-use building will include residential units for upperclassman, graduate-level students and UNM students enrolled in the Innovation Academy.

Project Name: University of Kentucky Research Building Two
Location: Lexington, Ky.
Cost: $265 million
Start Date: October 2015
Estimated Completion Date: Summer 2018
Mission: The facility will house scientific research that will work to resolve health disparities in Kentucky such as cancer, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and substance abuse, while also attracting world-class researchers to the campus.
Project Team: HGA Architects and Engineers (Lead Design Architect); Champlin Architecture (Executive Architect and Architect of Record); Jacobs Engineering Group, Affiliated Engineering Consultants, CMTA Engineering Consultant and THP Limited Inc. (Engineering Consultants); and Towers|Golde (Landscape Architect)
Highlights
• The 306,000-square-foot collaborative research center aims to provide a work environment where all users can intersect both formally and informally to collaboratively develop methods for chronic disease prevention and treatment.
• The building’s inviting, open lobby areas will foster interaction between researchers and community participants, visible stairwells will encourage physical activity and a café will serve healthy food.
• Thanks to an evolved workflow environment that differs from traditional secluded laboratories, wet lab researchers and data analysts will work together in an open space to tackle complex chronic diseases that require multiple specialties.

Project Name: University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) Expansion
Location: New Bedford, Mass.
Cost: $55 million
Start Date: October 2015
Estimated Completion Date: 2017
Mission: The expanded School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) will result in a comprehensive marine science campus in New Bedford, which is one of top fishing ports in the country.
Project Team: BOND (Construction Manager); Ellenzweig (Architect); Hill International (Project Manager)
Highlights
• The facility will include a new 76,000-square-foot building with state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, high bay area and seawater research facility, as well as select renovations to the existing SMAST facility next door.
• Located on the former Naval Reserve Center, the new building will bring the school and the state Division of Marine fisheries together to engage in education, research and policy related to commercial fishing, coastal preservation, ocean observation and climate change.
• The project includes space for the Division of Marine Fisheries and dive gear program to be accommodated in both buildings.

Project Name: Kihei High School
Location: Maui, Hawaii
Cost: $130 million
Start Date: January 2016
Estimated Completion Date: 2018
Mission: The sustainable new high school will serve approximately 1,650 students in grades nine through 12, easing overcrowding in other nearby facilities.

Project Team: Group 70 International (Architect, Planner, and Civil Engineer)
Highlights
• When complete, the 215,000-square-foot Kihei High School will be the first net-zero high school in Hawaii and will be powered by clean and renewable energy sources
• The school will seek LEED Silver certification from the USGBC
• In addition to serving students, the new school’s gymnasium and a stadium will also serve as a community resource.

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The renovation of Morgens Hall, originally built in 1964 by locally based F.W. Pressler & Associates (now PFB Architects), has surpassed most new construction projects for sustainability and aesthetic quality. This, in turn, has earned the building design awards from the AIA Cincinnati, AIA Cleveland and AIA Ohio, according to Aaron Hill, partner architect with Richard Fleischmann + Partners Architects Inc., the firm responsible for the Morgens Hall renovation.

The renovation project was not initially in the university’s 2000 construction plans, according to a statement by the university. Then, both Morgens Hall and Scioto Hall were set to be demolished.
In 2008, however, the buildings’ foundations were found to be stable, prompting the university to opt for renovation as opposed to building new facilities from scratch. Scioto Hall, which is currently under renovation to mirror Morgens Hall, is set to be complete in August 2016.

Rooms in Morgens Hall as well as Scioto Hall will feature glass panels with adjustable privacy screens, which will not only give students privacy, but will also conserve energy due to the opaque and thermal weaved design. The hall’s small rooms and superior insulation will also help to reduce lighting, heating and cooling costs.

The location of Morgens and Scioto Halls will allow students to forgo personal transportation because they can walk, ride a bike or take a bus to get around the campus, according to a statement by the university. Their proximity to the existing library and the recreation center also made them an ideal housing option for students, said Mary Beth McGrew, AIA, senior associate vice president of Planning + Design + Construction, University Architect Division of Administration and Finance, according to the University of Cincinnati website.
 

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The renovation of Dodge Hall, which houses the university’s business program, recently wrapped, creating an open, modern space for students to work and socialize. Shawmut Construction and Design of Boston completed the 5,000-square-foot project, which also included transforming the lobby into an open space and an enclosed suite into a new student lounge, refreshing a conference room, and updating seating and work areas. Shawmut, according to a statement by the firm, also reconfigured the suite to create a new Center for Global Business, including office spaces. In partnership with CBT Architects, Shawmut also added custom features such as baffle ceiling fixtures backlit with color-changing LED lights, radius millwork soffits, woven vinyl flooring and bench walls with built-in backlit signage.

“Our team implemented a strategy to ensure we didn’t disturb Northeastern students and faculty and that Dodge Hall remained fully operational,” said Kevin Sullivan, vice president at Shawmut Construction and Design, in a statement. “We look forward to seeing how the renovations enhance the student and faculty experience.”

In January, the university also announced plans to construct an 800-bed undergraduate residence and multi-use project, which according to a statement by the university rep¬re¬sents an inno¬v¬a¬tive approach to housing more stu¬dents in university-supervised buildings.

The building will feature apartment-style suites, ground-floor commercial spaces and other student services, and will be completed in partnership with developer Amer¬ican Campus Com¬mu¬ni¬ties (ACC) of Bee Cave, Texas, which spe¬cial¬izes in building student-housing com¬mu¬ni¬ties. ACC will lease the university-owned Burke Street parking lot, according to a statement by the university, where it will build and then manage the facility, leasing directly to students.

The project, which has a larger capacity than was originally out¬lined in the school’s 2013 master plan documents, is one in a line of student housing projects that aim to make campus housing available to a larger portion of the student body. Northeastern debuted the East Village residence in 2015, which brought its total housing capacity to more than 9,000. The project also contributes to an 18,500-undergraduate student bed goal set by Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh to reduce the number of stu¬dents living off-campus in the city by 50 percent, according to a statement by Northeastern.
 

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"From our academic reputation and admissions to fundraising and research investment, Temple is an institution on the move," said President Neil D. Theobald in a statement. "Having our own stadium will help showcase our vibrant campus as we celebrate Temple’s accomplishments on and off the field.”

"At the same time, the retail components we envision for this property will contribute to North Philadelphia’s growing economy and the renaissance along North Broad Street," Theobald continued. "We will continue to work together with local residents and city leaders on this opportunity."

The board’s resolution establishes a number of specifications to be met as the project moves forward, according to a statement issued by the university, including that Temple spend no more than $1 million to pursue initial designs and studies. Additionally, the university must collaborate with community members and government officials to address local residents’ concerns related to parking, trash and noise.

In terms of cost, the board has capped the project’s total budget at $130 million, with a fundraising goal of $50 million. Cost reductions and revenue enhancements must also result in net savings of about $3 million annually through 2024, compared to the most recent lease extension terms proposed to use Lincoln Financial Field, where the Temple Owls currently play football, according to a statement. Project funding is expected to come from both private donations and bonds, and student tuition will not be used. Any future capital expenditures, financing and naming opportunities related to the project must also move through ordinary board approval processes.

Bringing football to the campus would, according to the university, create a new experience for Temple students — 15,000 of which live on or around campus — as well as alumni and fans. Instead of traditional parking-lot tailgating, celebration zones would be designated around the new facility, modeled after similar on-campus celebration areas at other urban universities. This move would concentrate pregame activities to the Main Campus, which is also easily accessible by regional rail and subway and bus lines.

"Our trustees have moved thoughtfully and cautiously during this process," Theobald said in a statement. "As we move forward, we will be sure to have a retail and athletic complex of benefit to our campus and community."
 

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“The pedestrian bridge along with inviting walkways, lighting and landscaping, will offer a safer transportation route for our students and visitors between the Modesto A. Maidique Campus and the City of Sweetwater,” said Kenneth Jessell, FIU senior vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer, in a statement.

The $9.3 million pedestrian bridge and other streetscape elements will link the city of Sweetwater with the northern entrance of FIU. Miami-based building and civil engineering firm MCM, in partnership with Tallahassee, Fla.-headquartered FIGG Bridge Engineers, will design and build the new pedestrian facilities.
MCM also completed an expansion of the FIU football stadium in August 2012.

As the project also involves city infrastructure, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the Federal Highway Administration, the City of Sweetwater and Miami-Dade Transit were also included in approving the project team. Groundbreaking will take place this spring and the project is likely to wrap up by summer 2018.

“FDOT is pleased to be a funding partner in this project," said Gus Pego, secretary of FDOT District Six, in a statement. “We are committed to working together with FIU to improve safety and connectivity for all pedestrians and students.”


The proposed 320-foot-long bridge design features a 108-foot support tower intended to make the structure a landmark and a gateway for western Miami-Dade County. The bridge will also feature a lighting system designed by Randy Burkett Lighting Design of St. Louis that will illuminate it at night. A 30-foot-wide concrete canopy will be added, and the bridge’s generous width will allow for the comfortable passage of bikes and pedestrians as well as a space for special events and student seating. A 175-foot section of the bridge will be prefabricated adjacent to the site and moved into position in a single night so as to minimize traffic disruption.

“The MCM-FIGG team is honored and blessed to have been selected to build this iconic bridge,” said Jorge Munilla, president of MCM, in a statement. “It’s even more satisfying to serve the students and faculty of FIU again.”

Additionally, the project will include the construction of a new $37 million FIU parking garage. Smart phone users will be able to use a new smart parking software system, which will alert them to the location of available spaces in the garage and make parking more efficient, The application will also contain real-time information about transportation, including the new advanced bus system with which Miami-Dade Transit is planning to connect west Miami-Dade County with the Miami Intermodal Center at the airport, according to a statement by MCM.

An $11.4 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery Program grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation will fund the project. The funds will cover the construction of the bridge as well as improvements to the entrances of MMC and to the 109th Avenue area in Sweetwater across from MMC.

Click here to see a video of MCM-FIGG’s proposal.
 

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