A new 212,000-square-foot STEM Residence Hall will house hundreds of STEM Scholars who are members of the science, technology, engineering and math community within UConn’s undergraduate Honors Program. Construction on the $105 million facility began in November 2014 and will continue through fall 2016.

Construction on a 115,000-square-foot, high-performance building and laboratory for interdisciplinary research began in June 2015, with completion scheduled for summer 2017. The $95 million facility will accommodate student and faculty growth in fields such as bio-nano engineering and cyber-physical systems engineering.

Work began on another 115,000-square-foot facility in June 2015 as the first phase of UConn’s expansive Technology Park. The Innovation Partnership Building will house various specialized instruments, and allow UConn researchers to easily partner with professional scientists on technologies such as 3D printing and cyber security.

Major renovations to the university’s Monteith Building and Putnam Refectory will begin in September, with completion in summer 2016. The Monteith Building is undergoing a 73,000-square-foot renovation that will create a new home for the Department of Math. The $25 million upgrade will also provide flexible space for other academic programs currently housed in buildings that have yet to be renovated.

The 42,000-square-foot Putnam Refectory dining hall will undergo a $23 million renovation that will improve and increase its seating capacity and self-service buffet areas. This upgrade will provide space for new students housed in the STEM Residence Hall nearby. The project is also slated for completion in summer 2016.

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Located in Queens, N.Y., adjacent to La Guardia Airport, the college maintains an enrollment of approximately 1,700 students studying more than 20 associates, masters and bachelors degree programs. These programs include aerospace engineering, airport management, airport maintenance, air traffic control and flight education.

“The nearly $40 million project equipped Vaughn College with expanded and renovated educational and technical facilities; new physics, mechanical, structural, and materials testing laboratories; new public spaces; a new, two-story library and teaching and learning center; upgraded building systems; and the robust sound insulation necessary for a college located only 200 feet from one of LaGuardia Airport’s runways,” said Regina Gallagher Marengo, P.E., president of construction manager Ensign Engineering, who managed the renovation, in a statement.

Additional renovations were performed on some of the older buildings on campus. The main building, built in 1940, was almost completely redone, while two classroom buildings built in 1983 and 1997, respectively, were upgraded. A large hangar containing an observation tower, also built in 1997, received a thorough renovation. The project’s design was completed in 2009 and construction began in 2011.

“Our institution seeks to provide an engaging educational experience for every student, which supports them in their pursuit of a degree as well as lifelong learning,” said Dr. Sharon DeVivo, the college’s newly installed seventh president and its first female leader, in a statement. “The completely upgraded educational and administrative facilities allow us to provide unparalleled service to our students and attract top faculty members, while incorporating the most advanced instructional technology and methods into our programs.”

Bronx, N.Y.-based Ensign Engineering served as the construction manager for the project, while New York City-based Stalco Construction served as the general contractor. Both John Ciardullo Associates, also of New York City, and Jamaica, N.Y.-based Graf & Lewent Architects contributed to the design.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as well as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, provided the majority of the project’s financing, while the college itself contributed $7 million of its own funds.

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“In the past four years, we have been privileged to break ground on a number of new projects at USC. But this village is an especially historic moment for USC, for our neighborhood and for Los Angeles as a whole,” USC President C. L. Max Nikias said at the groundbreaking ceremony held Sept. 15.

Upon completion, the new USC Village will include a total of nine buildings, all designed in the university’s Collegiate Gothic architectural style. Residential areas will create added living space for approximately 2,700 Trojans, and will be contained to a series of five-story halls, increasing university-owned housing by almost 40 percent. This will put more students back on campus, opening up off-campus housing for community residents and decreasing traffic congestion.

The much-anticipated development, which is scheduled for completion in fall 2017, will also include a number of retail outlets. Students and community members will enjoy new indoor and outdoor dining options, a full service grocery store, fitness center and other commercial spaces, as well as expanded parking. A central plaza, tree-lined walkway and fountain will enhance the development’s curb appeal and offer space for outdoor events.

At $650 million, the USC Village project is the school’s largest to date, and is expected to spur an estimated $1 billion in construction-related economic activity. This will include approximately 4,000 construction jobs and 8,000 permanent positions. A pledge to hire at least 30 percent of the project’s workforce from within a five-mile radius of the campus has helped the redevelopment gain broad community support.

Additionally, the university will not use any public subsidies or taxpayer dollars to support construction, and has instead committed $20 million to a fund dedicated to creating and maintaining affordable housing in the local community. USC will also improve infrastructure surrounding the project, including upgrades to adjacent streets and the construction of a new fire station, work on which began in February 2014. Together, these community improvement projects have an estimated value of more than $40 million, according to the USC News.
The USC Village was designed by architecture firm Harley Ellis Devereaux of Los Angeles, and will be built by Hathaway Dinwiddie, headquartered in San Francisco. A video describing the project in further detailed can be viewed here.

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