"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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Cardiff University will work with the London office of global architecture firm HOK to design the new $110 million Translational Research Facility. The 129,000-square-foot research hub will accommodate two planned institutes: Cardiff Catalysis Institute and the Institute for Compound Semiconductors.

“We are delighted to have been selected by Cardiff University to design this visionary new research facility,” said Adrian Gainer, regional leader of Science + Technology based in HOK’s London office, in a statement. “We look forward to creating cutting-edge facilities that will reinforce the university’s international reputation as a leading catalysis research center and build on its strengths in the development of semiconductor devices and materials.”

Cardiff University has embarked on a comprehensive expansion of its existing campus, according to a statement by HOK. By focusing on innovation, the university hopes to engage with the private sector to generate commercial revenue streams to support significant research programs. By also working in partnership with key stakeholders and investing in facilities and people, the university hopes to become a magnet for enterprise, creativity and innovation. The Translational Research Facility in particular will support multidisciplinary research, turning academic research and innovation into practical, real-world applications delivering benefits for society, healthcare, culture and the economy, according to a statement by the university.

“We are looking forward to working with HOK to deliver the Translational Research Facility, which will act as a crucible for the university’s innovative translational research,” said Professor Hywel Thomas, pro vice-chancellor of research, innovation and engagement at Cardiff University, in a statement. “Innovation is our lifeblood and runs through all we do. Creating the Innovation Campus will help leading researchers and entrepreneurial students turn research into real world answers, bringing social and economic benefits to Wales and beyond.”

As a whole, the new campus will also reinvigorate the former industrial space for which it is planned into a cutting-edge campus. In addition to the Translational Research Facility, the campus will include the Social Science Research Park, which would act as a magnet for national and international research leaders, and increase capacity for research and collaborative learning; the Innovation Center, which will offer start-up companies high-quality, affordable space, advice and support; and the Research Institute for Compound Semiconductor Technology, which would demonstrate and test compound semiconductor technology in realistic environments.
Further plans for the new campus include a practitioners/innovators-in-residence program, high-level training and skills development for postgraduate students and the development of existing enterprise education and opportunities to strengthen the culture of entrepreneurial and innovative thinking among students, according to a statement by the university.

HOK will specifically provide architectural and lead consultant services for the Translational Research Facility. Other project team members include the UK offices of Englewood, Colo.-headquartered CH2M, which is providing mechanical, electrical, structural and civil engineering services; Buro Four of London, which is providing project management services; and cost consultant Faithful and Gould of London. HOK has also been awarded Phase II of the development, which has not yet been defined.
 

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The London office of global design firm HOK was selected as the project’s lead consultant in collaboration with Montreal-headquartered WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, which has secured the multidisciplinary engineering contract. Ironside Farrar of Edinburgh is the project’s planning consultant.

The new Gilmorehill Campus development is a critical part of the university’s “Inspiring People, Changing the World” strategy and is intended to enhance the university’s position as one of the world’s leading broad-based, research-intensive institutions. In response to the university’s objectives, HOK’s design will encourage cross-sector collaboration through the creation of a flexible environment that promotes interaction and lateral thinking, according to a statement by the firm.

“We are thrilled to have an opportunity to work with the University of Glasgow and our partners on the design of this significant and visionary project,” said Adrian Gainer, regional leader for Science + Technology at HOK, in a statement. “We have extensive experience in delivering highly successful research environments worldwide. We look forward to creating a design that will encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and inspire the university’s research teams to pursue world-changing activities.”

“Partnering with HOK allowed us to bring the most recent innovative expertise in world class research facilities to the project,” said John Cox, senior technical director for building structures, WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, in a separate statement. “This is a significant win for us as it strengthens our ongoing relationship with the University of Glasgow as well as raising our engineering skills profile in the education sector across Scotland and the UK as a whole.”

The planned research hub is the next in a series of recent construction projects that will improve education and research. In June 2015, the University of Glasgow cut the ribbon on its four-story Teaching and Learning Centre at the South Glasgow University Hospital. The facility supports hands-on training for both undergraduate medical degree students and postgraduate students.

September 2015 saw the opening of the Centre for Virus Research on the university’s Garscube Campus. The building, constructed by Laing O’Rourke headquartered in Dartford, U.K., contains cutting-edge laboratories, offices and social spaces that support research being conducted by both human and veterinary virologists.

In October 2015, the university broke ground on a new Imaging Centre of Excellence, which will provide further clinical research facilities. Construction is expected to end on that project later this year.

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The project’s primary goal is to help transform the physical campus and rejuvenate the campus experience so that the university can reach its goal of becoming a Top 20 institution. It is also designed to encourage students to stay on campus longer by providing them with a quality living and learning environment. While the new buildings will include contemporary interior spaces, the exteriors will feature traditional brick facades and deep overhangs that match the Clemson aesthetic, making the village an ideal new entrance for the campus.

The central hub facility will be a key place for students to meet and engage, with a bookstore, coffee shop, 400-seat dining hall, convenience store and deli. Housing on the complex’s west side will be geared toward upperclassmen, with four apartment-style buildings. Approximately 700 beds will be available in studio-, two- and four-bedroom apartments. On the east side, an additional 780 beds will be spread across three buildings in double-occupancy rooms for students enrolled in the traditional Clemson program.

All eight buildings will be LEED Silver certified and include sustainable features such as directional, non-intrusive LED parking-area lighting that can be programmed remotely to shut off when not in use. A tree survey was also conducted on campus in order to preserve as many trees as possible during the project. Of the 800 trees existing on campus prior to construction, 300 will need to be removed; however, 400 additional trees will be planted in their place.

While the $212 million expansion project construction will focus on the eight new buildings, a large portion of the work will also go toward establishing supportive infrastructure, according to Clemson University team members Mike Parker, project manager, and Doug Hallenbeck, executive director for University Housing and Dining. This includes work related to utilities such as natural gas, potable water, storm water, sanitary sewers, electrical and communication systems, a central energy plant with chilled water distribution, roads and parking lots.

Washington, D.C.-based Ayers Saint Gross, Columbia, S.C.-based The Boudreaux Group and Virginia Beach, Va.-headquartered Clark Nexsen worked collaboratively to design the massive project. Parker and Hallenbeck said that students were also actively involved in the early phases of design, and focus groups have been used throughout the project to help make decisions on things such as furniture and food options.

The project team also has had to work closely with the city of Clemson residents, many of whom live adjacent to the development and were concerned about the impact this project would have on their neighborhood. It took several meetings and some honest conversations, but the two groups were able to come to a resolution, added Parker and Hallenbeck.

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Marquette University President Michael Lovell unveiled the facility’s preliminary designs to several hundred members of the Marquette community earlier this month. The design includes space for flexible laboratories, open workstations and staff offices, as well as those geared toward research, collaboration and conferencing. The 8,000-square foot space will occupy the sixth floor of the approximately 105-year-old building.

The Global Water Center is housed in a converted warehouse that offers approximately 98,000 square feet and is certified LEED Silver. Aside from tenant offices, exhibition spaces and a 44-seat lecture hall, it also includes a public café and shared core facilities such as a water flow lab. The university will also be able to take advantage of these common spaces.

The center’s overall goal is to bring university researchers together with industry experts to create synergies and connections, resulting in new business and jobs in the water technology sector, according to Kahler Slater of Milwaukee, the building’s redevelopment architect.

When construction wraps up on the space in late 2015, Marquette University will become one of several higher education tenants, including the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater’s Institute for Water Business and the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences. Other founding tenants include the Fund for Lake Michigan, Noah Technologies, Sloan Valve and Veolia Water North America.

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“As OSU alumni and Central Oregon homeowners, Connie and I are very committed to the success of OSU-Cascades,” said Lee Kearney, a retired executive of Kiewit Construction who also serves on the advisory board of the Oregon State College of Engineering, in a statement. “This sustainability initiative will provide a living laboratory for students and faculty interested in energy conservation and independence, and is very aligned with Central Oregon’s values.“

“This commitment marks a first significant step toward the creation of a campus that sets the standard for sustainability and net zero energy and resource use,” added OSU-Cascades Vice President Becky Johnson in a statement. “We are thrilled by the Kearneys’ visionary leadership and their commitment to higher education in Central Oregon. We are also deeply grateful that other Central Oregon leaders have pledged their support for this innovative vision of a sustainable future for OSU-Cascades.”

The university has also received a $75,000 gift from Rod and Laurie Ray to support the initiative. An OSU alumnus, Rod Ray also serves as a trustee of the OSU Foundation and is chair of the advisory board of the College of Engineering. Deschutes Brewery, a long-time supporter of the university, has committed a further $50,000 towards the initiative.

These gifts will support sustainable design approaches for the campus’s first academic building, reducing energy demand as much as possible, and installing monitoring equipment that will help to motivate energy saving behavior by building occupants, according to a statement by the university. Design and mechanical features made possible through these gifts include a highly efficient building envelope, the highest efficiency heating and cooling system, and functionality to incorporate solar, biomass and geothermal energy sources. These design features will result in approximately 40 percent less energy usage compared to similar structures built to meet current energy code standards.

“A sustainable campus isn’t just about going green,” said Matt Shinderman, a senior instructor in natural resources who leads the sustainability degree program at the branch campus and served as co-chair of the OSU-Cascades Campus Expansion Advisory Committee, in a statement. “It can also serve as a living laboratory for study and research, and attract students and faculty who care about energy and resource independence.”

The OSU-Cascades branch campus currently offers 18 undergraduate major programs, 30 minor programs and options, and three graduate programs. The branch campus plans to expand to a four-year university beginning in fall 2015.

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“Now that we have completed the building’s structure, we get to start on the intricate details that will make this innovative living-learning center a home for UF students,” said Chris Gregory, project manager at Brasfield & Gorrie, in a statement.

An entrepreneurial-based academic residence community, Infinity Hall is the result of a public-private partnership between the university and the Jacksonville office of Shanghai-based real estate development and construction management firm Signet Development. Through a services and affiliation agreement with the University of Florida, Signet Development will develop, finance, own and manage Infinity Hall, representing the first privatized development within the 40-acre community known as Innovation Square.

UF’s Innovation Square is an urban research district that brings business, science and academia together with residential life in an effort to foster innovation and strengthen the community’s economic and cultural viability. As Infinity Hall is geared specifically toward forward-thinking students, and with its close proximity to campus amenities and academic resources, both UF officials and Signet Development representatives hope it will serve as a birthplace for new ideas and innovations.

“Infinity Hall is the first private sector finance project to arise from the vision of the public-private partnership that defines Innovation Square,” said UF President Bernie Machen in a statement. "Infinity Hall is the first residence hall in Gainesville — and among only a handful in the nation — designed for young entrepreneurs who mean so much to our future as a community and as a country."

Different from other campus housing facilities, Infinity Hall will offer all the tools and resources necessary for students to begin their entrepreneurial journeys. The interdisciplinary living and learning center will serve as a connector between students’ academic coursework, internship experiences, professional and peer mentorship and experiential learning, creating an environment that supports academics as well as business incubation. It will also be the first residence hall that allows students to use university housing as the base of operations for a small business.

When completed, the five-story, $23 million Infinity Hall will house more than 300 UF students in eight single rooms, 16 single suites, 48 double suites and 20 quad-suite residences. Lounges, kitchens, laundry facilities and recreation rooms will also be included. In addition to these residential amenities, Infinity Hall will offer a number of collaboration spaces and teaching areas on the ground floor, as well as a 3-D printer, to promote idea generation and creativity.

Infinity Hall was designed by the Atlanta office of global architecture firm Perkins + Will. Work on the building began in October 2014, and the project is currently on track for a fall 2015 opening.

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The future Oregon Forest Science Complex will include both new construction and renovation of existing space, showcasing innovative uses of wood in building design. It will also allow the College of Forestry to conduct research that will help meet the world’s growing demand for energy efficient, tall buildings made from sustainable building products, according to a statement by OSU.

“We are excited about leading a new national effort to advance the science and technology necessary to primarily use wood in the construction of 5- to 20-story buildings,” said Thomas Maness, dean of the OSU College of Forestry. “Developing these new, competitively priced, environmentally friendly products will not only increase the value of Oregon’s natural resources, but also grow jobs in our rural communities, with substantial benefits for our state.”

OSU is already a recognized leader in the development of adhesives and manufacturing techniques for engineered wood products. The Oregon Forest Science Complex, which is slated to include a new Advanced Wood Products Laboratory, will boost these applied research efforts. The laboratory, envisioned as a 25,000-square-foot space, will include computer controlled and robotic manufacturing systems, plus a pilot plant designed as a learning laboratory for students.

Peavy Hall, the College of Forestry’s main academic building, will also undergo a renovation, transforming it into a real life example of the possibilities offered by advanced wood products.

“In addition to concerns about sustainability, there is a lot of interest in engineered wood construction because these spaces are beautiful, very inviting and healthy places to live and work,” Maness said. “We want to show what you can do, and create a place that will be inspiring to our students as well as industry representatives.”

Enrollment at the School of Forestry, both on the undergraduate and graduate levels, has been steadily increasing in recent years, nearly doubling in the past decade to approximately 1,000 students. Bolstered by the new Oregon Forest Science Complex, the university hopes to push enrollment to 2,000 to meet high demand for qualified forestry professionals.

“Sometimes people think that forestry was important for Oregon’s past but don’t realize that it remains critical to our economy today, and may become even more important in the future,” said OSU President Ed Ray in a statement. “We are very proud of OSU’s contributions to the sector and are eager to build on this rich heritage, carrying out our mission as a 21st century land grant university.”

The university hopes to raise $30 million for construction costs related to the complex, after which it will also seek matching bonds from the state. Bonding for the project was included in the governor’s capital budget for consideration in the current legislative session.

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“Rhode Island College is proud to be part of this historic collaboration between the public and private sectors,” Rhode Island College President Dr. Nancy Carriuolo said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “…The Rhode Island Nursing Education Center, will help our state grow the educated workforce it needs to meet the changing needs of its number-one industry sector: health care."

The project will renovate and repurpose the vacant and abandoned South Street Power Station on Providence’s Eddy Street. This point in particular inspired Mayor Angel Taveras to refer to the project as a “transformational moment” for the state’s economy, according to the Providence Journal. The project is also expected to create up to 500 new construction jobs, as well nearly 400 indirect jobs, generating a potential $5 million in new tax revenue.

The Nursing Education Center is also expected to advance Rhode Island’s role as a regional leader in health care and nursing education. In addition to establishing new classrooms and related office space, the project will include extensive improvements to the site’s existing power plant as well as the construction of a new six-story graduate student housing facility, a new 650-space parking structure and various landscaping and site improvements.

An agreement reached by the three institutions in early 2014 will divide the roughly 265,000-square-foot complex in half, with one portion reserved for Brown University offices and the other dedicated to learning and teaching spaces for the other two institutions. The project currently aims for a mid 2016 completion.

“Reaching this important milestone in this highly complex project has required the commitment and tenacity of our private and public sector partners,” said Brown President Christina Paxson, in a statement. “Today, we set the stage to transform a staggering liability into a gleaming asset, providing opportunities for meaningful academic connections that will have lasting benefits for our institutions, our city, and our state.”

“The Nursing Education Center will certainly play a role in the economic recovery of our state,” added Rhode Island House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello. “The training that our future nurses and health care professionals will receive at this first-class facility will open the door for good-paying job opportunities. I am so pleased that the state has made this investment in support of three great institutions of Brown, URI and RIC to make this groundbreaking possible.”

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The increased demand for access to the allied health professions programs as well as basic science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses required by other degree programs has greatly increased pressure on the existing laboratory facilities, according to a statement by SmithGroupJJR. Additionally, the intense use of the facilities, coupled with Cowley Hall’s aging infrastructure, has made it increasingly difficult to accommodate students and deliver modern instruction.

The first phase of the project will establish a new 180,000-square-foot building located immediately north of Cowley Hall to house the instructional and research labs for the university’s physical and life sciences programs. Cowley Hall’s classrooms, lecture halls and faculty offices will remain operational during construction of the initial phase. Phase I is currently in preliminary design stages and construction is estimated to complete in 2018. LEED certification is targeted.

“This facility will alleviate the pressure on current laboratories that are unable to accommodate the level or intensity of use that is needed,” said Tony LoBello, SmithGroupJJR Learning Studio leader, in a statement. “With more than 85 percent of the building dedicated to instructional and research labs, the new facility will address the critical, immediate needs of students and researchers.”

Demolition work will comprise much of the project’s second phase, leveling Cowley Hall. A new 148,000-square-foot structure containing classrooms, collaborative learning spaces, offices, conference rooms and other ancillary departmental and building support areas will take its place and connect to the soon-to-be-built Phase I structure.

Upon completion of the project, the University will have a distinctive new home for science instruction and include the departments of biology, chemistry, geography/earth science, mathematics, microbiology, physics, river studies and the offices of the dean of the College of Science and Health.

Construction of the new instructional science facility is one of several campus projects in various stages of development. In September the university announced that more than $241 million in major building projects are currently underway, including a new residence hall and an expansion of the existing student recreation facility. Construction of a new student union will begin this spring, and the school’s SmithGroupJJR-designed $44.5 million New Education Building was just completed earlier this year.
 

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