Funding for the nation’s 1,700 or so public two- and four-year colleges remains well below pre-recession levels. Average state spending per student has fallen 17%—about $1,525—since the recession, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
TOP 100 UNIVERSITY ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
Rank, Firm, 2015 Revenue
1. Gensler $79,810,000
2. Perkins+Will $59,960,000
3. CannonDesign $56,800,000
4. EYP $46,539,910
5. Stantec $37,993,785
6. Robert A.M. Stern Architects $24,802,000
7. Clark Nexsen $24,561,000
8. S/L/A/M Collaborative, The $21,833,000
9. CO Architects $21,475,500
10. HDR $21,406,400
TOP 100 UNIVERSITY CONSTRUCTION FIRMS
Rank, Firm, 2015 Revenue
1. Turner Construction Co. $1,124,325,847
2. Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., The $772,402,993
3. Skanska USA $535,834,200
4. Messer Construction Co. $521,400,000
5. Barton Malow Co. $470,447,175
6. Gilbane Building Co. $429,741,000
7. McCarthy Holdings $357,875,128
8. Consigli Building Group $343,722,913
9. Clark Group $335,471,145
10. Hensel Phelps $305,040,000
TOP 70 UNIVERSITY ENGINEERING FIRMS
Rank, Firm, 2015 Revenue
1. AECOM $65,000,000
2. WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff $37,988,000
3. Jacobs $31,600,000
4. Affiliated Engineers $19,264,000
5. KJWW / TTG $16,943,913
6. Arup $15,856,593
7. Vanderweil Engineers $15,351,800
8. Simpson Gumpertz & Heger $13,586,000
9. Thornton Tomasetti $13,363,234
10. Dewberry $12,904,401
Money woes will continue to affect capital budgets and operations and maintenance allocations, says Mike Broge, PE, LEED AP, Higher Education Market Leader with Affiliated Engineers. That will only worsen an already significant backlog of deferred maintenance at many institutions, he says.
Budget constraints are compelling some public institutions to pursue alternative methods of financing their major building projects.
The University of Kansas leveraged a public-private partnership to initiate a $350 million redevelopment of its central district. The P3 deal includes a 265,000-sf integrated science building, a 40,000-sf student union, a central utility plant, student housing, and infrastructure upgrades. Most of the projects are scheduled for completion in mid-2018.
The University of Kentucky is among the schools that are enlisting developers to oversee their large on-campus projects. Memphis-based EdR is developing 14 new residence halls totaling 2.6 million sf on the Lexington campus. Two buildings are scheduled to open this fall; the others will be completed next summer.
“This approach keeps costs off universities’ books while still allowing them to stay ahead of the competitive curve with their facilities and on-campus amenities,” says Tim Steigerwald, SVP with Messer Construction.
Lack of capital has also contributed to a surge in master planning projects. Steigerwald says the University of Wisconsin is developing master plans for at least three large colleges, plus an overall campus infrastructure master plan. The goal: to achieve more efficient use of existing facilities through lower-cost renovations and spatial reconfigurations, thus avoiding costly additions or new facilities.
THE RISE OF INNOVATION SPACES ON Campus
To better equip students to excel in their future work environments, schools are developing a range of innovation spaces that promote hands-on, cross-disciplinary learning, foster unique business and industry partnerships, and encourage entrepreneurship.
Jeff Stebar, AIA, LEED AP, Higher Education Practice Leader at Perkins+Will, says that a phenomenon he calls “serendipitous cross-pollination” can occur across multiple disciplines working together in the same place. Such a structure models the 21st-century workplace and adds richness to the educational experience. “These spaces are typically owned by everyone, not by any specific college or dean,” he says.
That’s the idea behind the Collaborative Learning and Innovation Complex at Tufts University, Medford, Mass. Designer Stantec is transforming a 100-year-old warehouse into a new 95,000-sf facility that will house seven departments, ranging from physics and robotics to human development and community health. The teaching/research building incorporates open research labs shared by multiple areas of study, along with public social zones to foster interdepartmental collaboration. The project is part of a new Science and Technology Corridor that will also include a new 80,000-sf Science and Engineering Complex, designed by Payette. It is scheduled to open in 2017.
At the University of Utah, Lassonde Studios, designed by CannonDesign and Yazdani Studio, fuses a 400-bed residence hall with 20,000 sf of “garage space” where students can build a prototype, attend an event, or launch a business. Opening this fall, the facility has been designed to advance the university’s nationally ranked entrepreneurship program.
College libraries are also adapting to include technology-driven laboratories, informal group study workspaces, and cafés. A new 220,000-sf library under construction on Temple University’s main campus in Philadelphia will replace an existing 1960s-era facility with a dynamic, technology-rich environment. Designed by Snøhetta and Stantec, the $170 million project will accommodate Temple’s 2.5-million volume collection, student study space, research space, and staff areas.
A renewed interest in health careers is fueling demand for new health profession classroom buildings, clinical labs, and health-related research facilities.
“This trend is due in large part to a growing number of students who recognize the career opportunities afforded by a healthcare industry in the midst of a significant workforce shortage,” says Steve Rhoades, PE, LEED AP, Managing Principal, KJWW.
A 70,000-sf addition to the Columbia University nursing school is currently under construction in Manhattan. Designed by CO Architects and FXFOWLE, the seven-story structure will supplement the school’s existing classroom facilities with healthcare simulation technology, research facilities, and collaboration space. Expected to open in 2017, the building will include mock operating rooms, ICUs, ERs, and exam rooms where students can hone their nursing skills.
Private institutions are also jumping on the healthcare education bandwagon. The University of Pikeville, a private liberal arts college of 2,300 students in the coal country of Kentucky, is building a new 100,000-sf health professions education building that will open next year. Designed by Ayers Saint Gross, the facility will house the Bluegrass State’s first College of Optometry, as well as a nursing facility. The project is part of a strategic plan to upgrade the education needs of the Central Appalachia region and meet the growing demand for optometrists.
RETURN TO THE GIANTS 300 LANDING PAGE
Related Stories
3D Printing | Jan 12, 2022
Using 3D-printed molds to create unitized window forms
COOKFOX designer Pam Campbell and Gate Precast's Mo Wright discuss the use of 3D-printed molds from Oak Ridge National Lab to create unitized window panels for One South First, a residential-commercial high-rise in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Engineers | Jan 12, 2022
Private equity: An increasingly attractive alternative for AEC firm sellers
Private equity firms active in the AEC sector work quietly in the background to partner with management, hold for longer periods, and build a win-win for investors and the firm. At a minimum, AEC firms contemplating ownership transition should consider private equity as a viable option. Here is why.
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Jan 12, 2022
Total steel project performance
This instructor-led video course discusses actual project scenarios where collaborative steel joist and deck design have reduced total-project costs. In an era when incomplete structural drawings are a growing concern for our industry, the course reveals hidden costs and risks that can be avoided.
University Buildings | Jan 11, 2022
Designing for health sciences education: supporting student well-being
While student and faculty health and well-being should be a top priority in all spaces within educational facilities, this article will highlight some key considerations.
Green | Jan 10, 2022
The future of regenerative building is performance-based
Why measuring performance results is so critical, but also easier said than done.
Senior Living Design | Jan 5, 2022
Top Senior Living Facility Design and Construction Firms
Perkins Eastman, Kimley-Horn, WSP USA, Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., and Ryan Companies US top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest senior living sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Jan 3, 2022
2021 Government Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. government buildings sector
Stantec, Jacobs, Turner Construction, and Hensel Phelps top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest government sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Architects | Dec 20, 2021
Digital nomads are influencing design
As our spaces continue to adapt to our future needs, we’ll likely see more collaborative, communal zones where people can relax, shop, and work.
Architects | Dec 17, 2021
What I wish I had learned in architecture school
Bradford Perkins, FAIA, offers a 3-point plan for upgrading architecture education.
Urban Planning | Dec 15, 2021
EV is the bridge to transit’s AV revolution—and now is the time to start building it
Thinking holistically about a technology-enabled customer experience will make transit a mode of choice for more people.
