Case Studies College and University

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 […]

In 1865, just five months after the end of the Civil War, one of the parent institutions of what is now Clark Atlanta University was founded by two former slaves, setting the foundation for a school that is the oldest Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the South. The recently repaired bells inside the […]

Once Rochester Institute of Technology president David Munson became familiar with the college’s widely recognized mid-century modern campus, he realized there was much about the character of the institution that the sculptural brick walls concealed rather than celebrated. He envisioned a new, sprawling and state-of-the-art campus centerpiece as a transparent and transformative addition. Munson appointed […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every industry, from sports and entertainment to health care and hospitality. It’s had a profound impact on education and construction, the two areas where Erik Backus makes his mark. Backus is the head of the construction engineering management program at Clarkson University—his alma mater—where he’s responsible for planning all coursework […]

The corner of 12th Avenue and Marion Street in Seattle is not what it used to be. Once at the heart of an industrial district that was also known for its auto dealerships, the intersection is part of a gentrifying neighborhood where single-story buildings are being replaced with condos, high-end retail—and, since it’s Seattle, more […]

What do a football stadium in San Diego, Tesla batteries in Long Beach and a science building in Sacramento have in common? All are projects recently completed—or currently underway—within the California State University system, where Director of Construction Management Kevin Laut says the variety of work and the collaboration with contractors has made his shift […]

For many colleges and universities, summer is when the hustle and bustle of student life give way to an almost eerie calm, where the loudest sound may be the wind in the trees. That is, until you take a walk across the Grand Valley State University campus in Allendale, Michigan. There you’ll see the dozens […]

It’s a sentiment that was shared with Kirsten DePersis last year when she successfully interviewed to be director of facilities for student housing and dining services at the University of California, Davis. With the projects in progress slated to add around 6,000 beds to the school’s housing stock over the next few years, DePersis was told, in no uncertain […]