Case Studies College and University

With its skyline views, proximity to Boston’s downtown Freedom Trail and a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, it was a housing lottery ticket Suffolk University undergraduate students could only dream of: a room at the former luxury Ames Hotel. Approaching the fall semester of 2020, anticipation was building to welcome first-year students […]

Though the subject can’t be avoided, Stephen Vedral would rather discuss something other than COVID-19. For months it’s seemed an all-consuming concern for his Northern Arizona University facilities team, giving rise to what he calls the very contagious “COVID fatigue.” He also reminds that when he assumed his responsibilities at this Flagstaff campus in the […]

On entering the state-of-the-art academic building, students will encounter an expansive and bright Welcome Center, STEM Outreach Center, café and collaborative commons. From there, they’ll have access to multi-use classrooms, research areas, teaching labs, conference rooms and offices—all part of the three-story, 107,000-square-foot brick and glass structure. The focal point of the facility, though, will […]

Kevin Costner once heard a whispering voice telling him to build a baseball diamond in his Iowa cornfield. One state west, in Nebraska, Lee McQueen has not heard mysterious voices. Still, as the University of Nebraska at Kearney expands into acreage once used to farm corn and alfalfa, the expansion carries a “The Field of […]

McKinley Avenue once wove its way through Ball State University’s North End on a gentle curve approaching and crossing the bridge over Duck Pond. Now that curve has become a traffic circle fronting new residence and dining halls, buildings that are just part of the growth at Ball State, notes Kelly Knable, the university’s director […]

Recognition within the highest circles of science is bringing the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, to the forefront of scientific research on a world stage. University professor Donna Strickland earned a Nobel Prize in Physics along with colleague Gérard Mourou of France in 2018. Based on their research and exploration of chirped pulse amplification, […]

Coming back to school at Carleton University in Ottawa has been an exciting experience for Golchehr “Goli” Monjazeb. The Carleton graduate, who’s now director of planning, design and construction, brings a lively and humorous approach to overseeing the university’s expansion. Her expertise ranges from architecture to project management and she’s built a career not only […]

While there’s no substitute for a real-life casualty to test the capabilities and temperaments of first responders and medical personnel, the University of Arizona in Tucson can offer the next best scenario. It may not be for the squeamish. You’ll find it on the seventh floor of the Health Sciences Innovation Building. Opened last year, […]

As Ken Pearce tackles a massive capital project at UNC Greensboro, there’s no shortage of logistical issues to account for. The frontline workers must be updated on whatever direction the evolving health and safety rules might take. Zoom meetings have replaced face-to-face, and a complex inspections process must also be done remotely while some sensitive […]

Seems too many folks have found their way to San José. The Silicon Valley city no longer matches the carefree, anti-Los Angeles that Dionne Warwick so wistfully sang about over a half-century ago. So went some of the lyrics of that iconic song: “They’ve got a lot of space, there’ll be a place where I […]