Business
Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA), based in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently announced a leadership transition that will take effect on Jan. 1, 2023. A news release reports that the architecture firm’s Founding Principals—Mark Quattrocchi, FAIA, and Steve Kwok, AIA—will take on Principal Emeritus status, continuing to work with select clients and offer mentorship while moving away from direct leadership.
New Construction
Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., recently opened the doors to its newest academic building, Dr. E. J. and Margaret O’Brien Hall. University news reports that the building will serve as the new home for Marquette Business and its associated leadership innovation programs, and faculty and staff have already started moving in.
New Construction
Texas Christian University recently broke ground on a new school of medicine in Fort Worth, Texas, to meet rising demand for medical services in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to a news release. The Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine is scheduled to open in summer 2024.
New Construction
The University of Tampa in Tampa, Fla., recently announced that construction has begun on a new, 10-story Multipurpose Building, according to a news release.
Campus Security
Patriot One Technologies recently announced that it will install entry screening solutions for a school district in Lakewood, N.J., according to a news release.
New Construction
Construction management firm Kraus-Anderson recently announced that it has completed construction on the Early Childhood Center for Pine Island Schools in Pine Island, Minn.
Campus Amenities
The Plot Twist—a mobile, rotating pouf featuring a variety of customizations—has recently received a number of awards across the educational, healthcare, and commercial verticals, according to a news release from its manufacturer, OM Seating.
New Construction
Tufts University in Boston, Mass., recently announced that a new undergraduate residence hall for juniors and seniors is in the planning stages, according to a university news release.
Sustainability
The University of Pittsburgh recently began construction on a 20-megawatt solar farm that, once complete, will provide 100 percent of its electricity to the campus for the next twenty years, according to a university news release.
Facility Focus
The long-standing partnership between Fordham University and locally headquartered design firm HLW is deeply entwined with New York's architectural legacy. Its latest collaboration––the university's new center for student life––celebrates that history through a masterful bridging of old and new programs and aesthetics.
Professional Development
PBLWorks recently opened registration for PBL World 2023, a professional development conference focused on Project Based Learning, scheduled from June 26–29, 2023, in Napa Valley, Calif.
New Construction
The San Diego Unified School District recently celebrated the grand opening of a new elementary school in Mission Valley, Calif.
New Construction
The New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) recently selected DIGroup Architecture as the design architect for a new PreK–5 school to be built in the Bronx borough of New York City, N.Y.
Campus Renovations
The Alamo Colleges District in San Antonio, Texas, recently announced that it has selected program management firm Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) to provide its services for a $270-million renovation project across various facilities.
Campus Amenities
Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., recently installed a new heating system in one of its residence halls that also generates free electricity, according to a news release.
New Construction
The University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt., recently celebrated the grand opening of a new medical research building as part of the Larner College of Medicine. The Firestone Medical Research Building covers 62,650 square feet and will feature amenities like flexible research lab space, lab support, administrative space, core space for circulation, and more. It will also play home to multidisciplinary research teams in fields like lung disease, cancer, cardiovascular health, and brain health, according to a university news release.
Renovations
Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich., recently announced that it will partner with Gilbane Building Company, Clark Construction, and AVB Inc. for the three-year, $200-million campus renovation project, according to a news release. The “Welcome Home 2025” initiative consists of the new construction of two new residence halls, as well as renovations to all other campus dorms to improve amenities like HVAC, restrooms, and technology upgrades.
Building Blueprints
Studies show that retrofitting existing school buildings is both cheaper and greener, but what happens when a school district runs out of space for a growing student body?
New Construction
The University of Memphis in Memphis, Tenn., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new STEM Research and Classroom Building, according to university news. The two-story building comes with a price tag of $41 million, will cover 65,000 square feet, and is scheduled for completion in early 2024.
New Construction
Representatives from Florida Polytechnic University and IFF recently gathered to celebrate laying the foundation for a new Citrus Innovation Center on the university’s campus in Lakeland, Fla.
New Construction
Student housing development firm Subtext and Brinkmann Constructors recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a seven-story student housing development two blocks away from the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.
New Construction
The Waco Independent School District in Waco, Texas, recently broke ground on a replacement facility for Waco High School.
Healthy Schools
Facility solutions provider ABM recently announced that it has initiated an Energy Performance Contracting Program with the Abbeville County School District (ACSD) in South Carolina. A news release reports that the solution will modernize facility infrastructure in all the district’s schools and save the district about $4.9 million in energy and operating costs over the next 15 years.
Campus Modernization
Our pre-K through eighth-grade Catholic parish school was built in 2001, so it’s still considered fairly “young” as far as educational institutions go. With education evolving at the speed of light over the last two decades, we simply can’t afford to rest on our laurels—even if those laurels are younger than those of most other schools.
New Construction
Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville, Wis., held a groundbreaking ceremony this week for its new Public Safety Education Center, according to local news. The facility is the final piece of the ongoing Public Safety + Transportation Complex project, the result of a $32-million referendum that local voters passed in November 2020.
Campus Technology
The Arizona State University Thunderbird School of Global Management recently announced that it has selected products from visualization technology provider Planar to install in its new global headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz.
Campus Renovations
Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, N.J., recently completed the restoration of the second-oldest residence hall on campus, according to a news release. The college partnered with Voith & Mactavish Architects LLP (VMA) to modernize Brown Hall, built in 1864.
New Construction
Baltimore County officials recently gathered to celebrate a groundbreaking ceremony for a replacement high school facility in Lansdowne, Md. The new Lansdowne High School comes with an estimated price tag of $156 million and will cover 318,461 square feet, according to local news.
Campus Security
As part of Safe Schools Week, which runs from Oct. 16–22, security products and solutions provider Allegion has launched a new video series to provide K–12 administrators with resources regarding security, safety and funding.
New Construction
After more than ten years of waiting, construction has finally begun on a new Center for Performing Arts (CPA) on the campus of Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois.
New Construction
Design firm HGA recently finished construction on a new STEM-oriented building for Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Penn. The Health | Science | Technology (HST) building is located in the northeast corner of campus and plays home to the university’s new College of Health, according to a press release.
Campus Amenities
Furnishings provider Kimball International recently announced that it has found a new home for its showroom in Boston, Mass.
New Construction
Construction management firm Kraus-Anderson recently announced that it has finished construction on three projects for the White Bear Lake School District in White Bear Lake, Minn. According to a news release, the three schools are North Star Elementary, Birch Lake Elementary, and Lakeaires Elementary.
Campus Renovations
The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently announced that it will provide a $26-million lead investment toward the restoration and renovation of the UT Tower at the UT-Austin campus.
Campus Renovations
The University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, is set to begin construction on renovations and additions to its applied sciences building. Work will start in early October and consist of renovating 40,000 square feet inside the William Stewart Building for Applied Sciences, as well as building a 100,000-square-foot addition on the building’s west side.
New Construction
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, located in Chapel Hill, N.C., recently broke ground on a new $150-million business school. The future Steven D. Bell Hall will play home to the Kenan-Flagler Business School to modernize its facilities and allow the school to accommodate about 50% more undergraduate students, according to university news.
Campus Amenities
Tubular Daylighting Device (TDD) manufacturer Solatube International, Inc. recently introduced the newest addition to its SolaMaster product line. The Round Ceiling Fixture features a minimal ceiling intrusion that is almost flush with the ceiling itself, offering a clean, modern way to add daylighting into installation spaces.
New Construction
Hartselle City Schools in Hartselle, Ala., recently broke ground on a replacement facility for the oldest school in its district. The new Crestline Elementary School will cover about 105,000 square feet, cost about $36 million, and is scheduled for completion in time for the beginning of the 2024–25 school year, according to local news.
Campus Technology
As the technology has advanced, both the elementary and secondary educational markets have sought to upgrade classrooms to keep pace with the changing technology. Of course, as the newest flatscreens, most advanced computer monitors, and cutting-edge interactive panels made their way into the classroom, there was an accompanying need to mount them.
Landscape Design
Smith College in Northampton, Mass., recently partnered with landscape architecture firm MNLA to complete a 20-year landscape master plan for its 147-acre campus.