New Construction
Radford University in Radford, Va., has selected construction and development firm Skanska to build its new, $102-million Center for Adaptive Innovation and Creativity (CAIC). The 177,917-square-foot facility will replace the existing College of Visual and Performing Arts and provide interdisciplinary student spaces.
New Construction
Stetson University, located in DeLand, Fla., has announced plans to break ground this fall on a new science facility. The Cici & Hyatt Brown Hall for Health & Innovation will measure in at 40,000 square feet and connect to the existing Sage Hall Science Center to form a 120,000-square-foot science complex.
Campus Renovation
Ohio State University announced last week that it is partnering with private, nonprofit applied science and technology development company Battelle and Metro Schools to reopen a former middle school as a STEM-focused middle and high school.
Campus Renovations
Spalding University in Louisville, Ky., recently announced that it will undertake $7 million in renovations to a former V.V. Cooke Chevrolet dealership to create a home for its new Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. Construction is scheduled to be complete in late 2021, and the renovations mark one of the largest capital projects in the university’s history.
COVID-19 and Schools
Industrial light fixture solutions company Kenall has announced that its Indigo-Clean technology has been proven in independent lab testing to safely kill 94 percent of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza-A.
Campus Technology
K–12 school districts and service providers throughout the country have stepped up heroically to try and facilitate remote learning during the pandemic. And despite hardships, giving teachers access to online learning platforms for creating and organizing lesson plans has begun opening the door to new pedagogies and innovative software tools that improve learning outcomes both in and out of the classroom.
New Construction
Harvard University recently saw construction finish on its new Science and Engineering Complex (SEC), located across the Charles River from its main campus in Cambridge, Mass. The complex, designed by Behnisch Architekten, is set to open to students in fall 2021.
New Construction
Jarrett Middle School, an existing member of Springfield Public Schools whose new campus is currently under construction in Springfield, Mo., could be designated as a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) academy by the time it opens.
COVID-19 and Schools
The Allen Independent School District in Dallas, Texas, has announced that it will not offer virtual learning opportunities for the 2021-22 academic year. Superintendent Robin Bullock sent a district-wide email on the afternoon of Tuesday, May 4, announcing the district’s plans for the upcoming year.
Campus Facilities
EXTECH/Exterior Technologies, Inc. has provided skylight systems for the new Spring Hill School middle school campus in Sonoma County, Petaluma, Calif. The campus opened its doors to students for the first time for the 2019-20 school year.
New Construction
In Spokane, Wash., the final structural beam was placed in the facility that will become the medical and health education, research and innovation center for the University of Washington School of Medicine–Gonzaga University Health Partnership. The laying of this last piece is a construction milestone known as “topping off,” and representatives of the two schools gathered to celebrate.
Campus Sustainability
At Rice University in Houston, Texas, the Betty and Jacob Friedman Holistic Garden recently received a solar upgrade and other improvements courtesy of the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club.
New Construction
This week, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approved the design phase for the construction of a new building for the UK College of Medicine. According to a press release, the facility will include about 380,000 square feet of classrooms, conference rooms, simulation suites, office space, and support space.
Campus Infrastructure
The State University of New York College at Cortland (SUNY Cortland) in Cortland, N.Y., is in the process of replacing decades-old outdoor lampposts around campus. Phase I of the three-phase project is scheduled for completion by the end of the summer, and the entire project should be done by fall 2022.
Campus Amenities
As students come back to new and improved classrooms, STEM learning will become paramount in learning experience design. School shutdowns have hit science classes hard and may lead to widening achievement gaps in STEM fields. As institutions of learning reopen, science, computer and innovation labs should be the pillars of infrastructure improvements.
Campus Amenities
Commercial flooring solutions company Mohawk Group has announced the release of its Data Tide collection, a variety of modular carpet planks with a design evoking the visualization of water.
COVID-19 and Schools
Late last month, eight second-grade students from a single classroom at Penn Valley Elementary School in the Lower Merion School District near Philadelphia, Pa., tested positive for coronavirus. Because of the number of students affected, staff conducted an investigation and discovered a potential cause for the spread.
Technology
Education technology solutions providers Trox and Tierney announced recently that the two companies will merge to form Trox + Tierney. Combined, the two organizations bring 80+ years of experience and more than 750 skilled employees to the market.
Security & Planning
- By Robert Kravitz
- 05/01/21
Facility Focus
HVAC & IAQ
IAQ
- By Anne Holford-Smith, Serena Losonczy
- 05/01/21
Twister. Funnel. Whirlwind. A tornado by any other name is still considered the deadliest and most destructive natural disaster on earth. Occurring on all continents except Antarctica, tornadoes have both terrified and fascinated mankind for centuries. The U.S. averages almost 1,300 tornadoes per year, more than all other continents combined. How do we protect ourselves when a tornado strikes? It is this question that has driven architects, engineers and the construction industry to develop codes and guidelines such as ICC 500 and FEMA P-361. These guidelines, at least in part, will help to ensure the proper construction of tornado shelters in order to save lives.
- By Susan Flanagan
- 05/01/21
Design Guidelines
- By Jonathan Matta
- 05/01/21
IAQ
IAQ
Podcast
Campus Renovations
Renovations to the Moody Coliseum on the campus of Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, resulted in a small fire on Tuesday night. The Abilene Fire Department responded to the call at about 10:30 p.m. and extinguished the flames without incident.
Campus Housing
Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., will begin construction this week on a housing development for graduate and professional students. Construction was originally slated to begin in summer 2020 but was delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Campus Construction
One of the oldest buildings on the campus of Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn., was demolished to make room for a new construction project in progress. Alumni Hall, a sports arena that played home to the men’s and women’s basketball teams and also served as a concert venue, came down in preparation for a new Arena and Convention Center.
Industry News
Gopinath “Gopi” Akalkotkar has joined VLK Architects as its new principal. VLK offers architecture, planning and interior design services to K-12 and higher education institutions (and other sectors) in Texas. According to VLK, “Akalkotkar will be responsible for leading VLK’s efforts in San Antonio and the South Texas market.”
New Construction
The Kroger Louisville Division announced this week that it is donating $3 million toward the construction of an indoor baseball practice facility at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky.
Campus Sustainability
Susquehanna University’s solar array was built in 2018, just outside the city of Selinsgrove, Pa. And from April through November of each year, the university enlists help from an unconventional source to help keep the 14-acre site maintained.
Campus Modernization
Western Michigan University, located in Kalamazoo, Mich., is readying its campus for a major construction initiative. According to a recent news release, contractors are preparing three small dorms for demolition while taking care to preserve and protect some natural historic features on the grounds.
COVID-19 and Schools
LED manufacturing and distribution solutions provider Energy Harness recently released a new product to help schools combat COVID-19.
Campus Renovations
Construction work on Hendersonville High School, located in Hendersonville, N.C., is set for completion in August 2022—11 months ahead of schedule. The project will also come in about half a million dollars under its $59.1-million budget.
New Construction
The five-year capital improvement plan for Lake County Schools, located in Tavares, Fla., includes $65 million in new and expanded schools, as well as $106.7 million in school renovation and modernization work. The plan covers planned projects between 2021 and 2025.
New Construction
Missouri State University broke ground recently on a new, $6.4-million amphitheater and arts park. The open-air John Goodman Amphitheatre, named after the St. Louis alum and famous comedian, will feature a permanent stage and 350 removeable seats.
Sustainability
Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C., recently announced a partnership with ENGIE North America to promote sustainability and energy conservation. ENGIE will manage the university’s utility system in an effort to help it achieve its sustainability goals.
New Construction
The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) held a groundbreaking ceremony last week for the new $40-million student services building at Los Angeles Mission College. The event, which was livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday, April 15, was the first in-person event for LACCD since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
New Construction
The University of Massachusetts Medical School, located in Worcester, Mass., unveiled the design this week for its new, $325-million therapeutics research and lab center. The New Education and Research Building, measuring in at 350,000 square feet, was designed by architecture firms ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge and ZGF.
New Construction
At the Hamilton County School Board meeting last week in Chattanooga, Tenn., the board donated an out-of-use school building for potential use as a partial-day construction school for high-school students.
Campus Renovation
Our single-story school building was built in the 1970s and has been added onto and modified many times over the years. When it came time to give it yet another overhaul last year, the goal was to create a modern, collaborative learning environment that supported group work, Socratic seminars, fishbowl meetings, and STEM learners. We simply couldn’t check off all of these boxes using our existing footprint, so we started looking at how we could modify the space
Campus Renovations
The Winifred School, part of Winifred Public Schools in Winifred, Mont., is set to receive a series of high-tech upgrades and renovations that would double the school’s original size. Upgrades to the K–12 school will include lab spaces, a woodworking area, an agricultural science space, a car repair space, and a full-size gym featuring an indoor track.
New Construction
Construction on a new middle/high school has begun in the Denver Community School District in Denver, Colo. The new facility will relieve space and capacity issues at the district’s existing school buildings, as its elementary, middle, and high schools currently share a single campus.
School Funding
This week, the West Virginia School Building Authority (SBA) approved just under $75 million in “Needs Grants” for school construction projects in seven counties. SBA members selected the recipients from a list of proposed projects in 30 counties totaling $248 million.