Case Studies College and University

As a slew of general contractors will attest, there’s a definite shortage of young people entering the trades, but those who do are well-positioned for career growth. At least in some locales, the message seems well taken, including at Patrick & Henry Community College where there’s been a waiting list of students seeking training in […]

The old saying goes that the road to success is paved with failures. Modern times call for an upgraded adage: The road to green energy and sustainability is illuminated by LED lights. Many of those innovative roads weave through college and university campuses, where the exterior architecture may be traditional, but renovated interiors bring modern […]

When Colorado State University Pueblo set a goal of being the state’s first net zero campus, it had more in mind than simply switching to LED lighting. Taking advantage of its sprawling campus, the university is building a 24-acre solar farm. The project, which is part of an energy performance contract, will save the university […]

After upgrading HVAC systems to protect against COVID-19, Malcolm LeMay had to shut them down. The director of operations had been “bringing in as much air as possible” at Oregon State University College of Business from March to September of 2020 to limit the spread of the virus. Then, just before students returned for the […]

For Ronald Reed, switching from a career in baking to one in construction was easier than he thought. If you’re used to reading a recipe, you can easily understand construction guidelines, he explains—just replace one-third of a cup for one-third of a building. After 13 years of running The Dessert Company, a bakery and lunch […]

It was shaping up as a Spring Break like any other at Duke University in March 2020. With most students gone for the week, the facilities staff was preparing to spruce up the popular Wilson Recreation Center, readying it for the end of the semester. As Chris Policastro recalls, the plan was for a detailed […]

It would be a typical day on the job for Michelle Swanitz, one that had her responding to one situation after another before the sun set on the Central California coast. Director of facilities for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Swanitz was handling […]

Imagine you’re pulling an all-nighter for a crucial exam at the University of North Dakota, downing enough Red Bulls to fill a bathtub, when you’re suddenly overcome by a craving for a Chick-fil-A sandwich. What do you do? Drive to the fast-food alley in Grand Forks, of course. Before long, though, that late-night run won’t […]

There’s only one Leonardo da Vinci, one Picasso and one Michelangelo. But that didn’t stop a seven-year-old Virginia Howard from pursuing her passion as an artist. From summers spent on Cape Cod painting watercolors with her grandfather to working on her craft for hours each night after school, she was hooked. Her dreams of being […]

Thomas Polansky has loved The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens since he was a child. Often when he visited his grandparents in Pasadena, they brought him to these places at the San Marino, California, institution. The trips influenced Polansky’s early interest in art and architecture, and he eventually went on to receive his […]