Higher education

In the second phase of work for the Chemistry Building Addition and Modernization projects, HED designs a new building to provide core facilities and laboratories for the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Materials Science programs as well as other related disciplines. Rather than housing a single department, this project will deliver laboratory, research, and office space for faculty in chemistry, chemical engineering, and materials science, providing a common home for interdisciplinary interactions. Kyle Jeffers Kyle Jeffers It will focus on projects requiring state-of-the-art experimental facilities. Some of these facilities will be specialized to particular needs, but there will be substantial shared experimental space.... More

The Health Sciences Education Building at Haywood Community College is a cutting-edge facility aimed at tackling the shortage of healthcare workers by expanding student enrollment in fields like nursing, paramedic, and EMS. Within the first semester of the opening of Health Sciences Education building in Fall 2022, the college saw a 50% increase in nursing applications for the coming year. Services provided by Little included Architecture, Engineering, Interior Architecture, Planning, and Site Design. Sean Busher Sean Busher Haywood Community College's Health Sciences Education Building serves as one of the best facilities for Nursing education in North Carolina, expanding and modernizing the student experience while supplying cr... More

Recognizing the critical need to accommodate its growing academic programs, NYU engaged Davis Brody Bond and KieranTimberlake to replace its one-story Coles Sports Center with a new mixed-use development to hold a diverse array of performing arts programs, rehearsal studios, and performance venues, as well as first-year student and faculty housing. Spacesmith designed and selected all the furnishings for the 735,000 sf building. In addition to the functional and aesthetic aspects, our team was tasked with specifying furniture with low emitting materials and third party testing in order to assist with LEED certification.  Caption Caption Caption Caption Caption Caption Photo credit: Connie Zhou / JBSA More

The Université de l'Ontario français (UOF) is Ontario’s first French-language university governed for and by Franco-Ontarians. Rooted in downtown Toronto’s East Bayfront, an emerging start-up and innovation neighbourhood, the 50,000 sf campus is home to the mobilization and creation of French-language education in Ontario. Occupying the entire second floor of a mixed-use building, Gow Hastings Architects designed the inaugural campus to retain existing industrial elements while introducing a new vision for academic design focussed on student-faculty interaction.  Tom Arban The design embraces the irregular shape of the building, its exposed concrete walls and structure to embody the spirit of the surroun... More

Located at the intersection of Green Street and Mathews Avenue in Urbana, the Mechanical Engineering Building (MEB) is centrally located on the University of Illinois’ main campus. Constructed in 1947, the original 66,000 square foot building has been renovated to meet new programmatic needs and adjacencies and adapt to rapidly changing pedagogies. Tom Harris A five-level, 36,000 square foot addition provides state-of-the-art instructional facilities, including active learning classrooms with audio-visual technology systems designed for short-term needs and long-term vision. A second addition infills the building’s exterior courtyard, expanding the existing building footprint and creating new, innovative project laboratori... More

The new Niagara College Welland Campus Student Commons establishes a welcoming heart within the sprawling, decentralized campus, establishing a flexible gathering place where students can study, collaborate, eat and socialize. In addition to enhancing student amenities, the project upgrades the 1970s era campus with a new north-facing entrance, enhances both wayfinding and branding with a bold graphic treatment, and opens the building to natural light and external views. Scott Norsworthy At the apex of a complex of dark, narrow corridors from previous renovations and additions, the project involved demolishing some tight spaces, improving wayfinding, and introducing natural light to the dated campus. The new 35,000 sf double-height sp... More

CO Architects teamed with GBBN Architects to deliver a state-of-the-art transdisciplinary educational facility to train future healthcare practitioners at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) in Highland Heights, KY.  The addition of the Health Innovation Center and renovation of the adjoining Founders Hall (built in 1974) creates a seamless complex for learning, collaboration, and practice.  The unified 210,000-square-foot facility houses classrooms, offices, conference rooms, laboratories, and a full simulation and clinical skills suite to train practitioners in addressing Kentucky’s specific health challenges, including diabetes, heart disease, opioid addiction, and cardio-pulmonary illnesses.  This transdisciplinary a... More

Named after Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young, the new 40,000 SF academy for arts, technology and the business of innovation provides a state-of-the-art digital arts and media program. Conceived as an ‘incubator’, this facility’s focus on innovation and conceptual thinking drawing on the talents and influences of leaders from across a multitude of global industries. Featuring fabrication labs, media labs, immersive and interactive learning environments, and 3D printing within a flexible studio interior, the facility design emphasizes collaboration and connectivity between programs. With unprecedented growth in technology, the facility is embedded with flexible, transparent, media-saturated learning spaces to support future gen... More

As the University of California Davis continues to expand, Student Housing has been challenged to continue to develop strong communities in each of its residential areas that can unite with the rest of campus. The Latitude Dining Commons is key to this strategic plan and will serve as a gateway building for the entire campus as future pedestrian pathways connect the project to the eastern reaches of the University. It is sited between existing residential buildings and future science buildings and connects to a major campus street – offering a central locus for the residences and sciences.   The design for the Latitude Dining Commons is inspired by the sun-drenched agricultural heart of the state. This is reflected in clear, fu... More

The master plan for Xinyang University’s (XYU) new campus sets the university apart as a 21st-century liberal arts institution that nurtures ecologically-minded and socially conscious living-learning communities. From the outset, the university leadership and Sasaki developed a bold vision to integrated social, economic, and educational aspirations to create an alternative model to the current practices of delivering higher education in China. Sasaki’s highly collaborative and iterative planning process is informed by thorough research of XYU’s current pedagogy and the site’s characteristics, ecoregion, and climatic conditions. Today, the majority of China’s leading universities and colleges are state-owned. H... More

Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU), a faith-based liberal arts college, wanted to revive its existing Nicholson Dining Commons to reflect an updated modern dining experience that would meet the needs of the campus for the next twenty years. They sought to provide a comfortable and attractive place to eat, study, collaborate, and build long lasting relationships. With limited options on and off campus for dining and meeting, the importance of providing this space for their 3,500 students was amplified. Some of the university’s objectives were to increase their seat count, expand outdoor usage, and improve their oversized and underutilized lounge area. Nicholson Commons was designed upon the belief that the best conversations happen... More

“The rhythms of campus life are changed because Ullman Commons is giving students an educational experience, not just a dining experience.” - Tom Visyikis, Director of Auxilary Services, California Lutheran University   California Lutheran University’s Ullman Commons embodies sustainable consumption in both craft and cuisine. Positioned at the intersection of two main pedestrian access points, the Commons establishes a new, central gathering place for the CLU community. The open-plan interior offers a variety of dining options, featuring local seasonable selections that support both a healthy environment and a healthy lifestyle. Flexible seating, including booths and high-top tables, accommodates students’ pr... More

Partnered with local Nashville firm and ‘Architect of Record’ Centric Architecture, SGA’s Higher Ed Group leads the process as ‘Design Architect’ on 71,000 SF of renovations and additions for the Peabody College of Education at Vanderbilt University. Working closely with Peabody College’s administration, faculty and staff, and with Vanderbilt University’s Campus Planning Department, SGA guided the programming, concept and development efforts, providing academic design expertise that reimagines Peabody’s teaching and learning environment.Project scope includes 55,000 SF of renovations to two existing 1912-era Beaux Arts academic buildings, and repurposing existing spaces for classroom and administrative use. Challenges for the project seekin... More

Through a public-private partnership with Brown University, the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College, this $220M development transforms Providence’s Jewelry District and reclaims an urban place damaged through environmental degradation. Through the urban planning efforts, the district features new street grids, several transportation choices and the careful siting of buildings, creating a true sense of place.River House, a new riverfront multi-use residential community includes 270 beds for graduate student housing. The studio and one-and-two bedroom apartments feature spacious layouts, two roof decks create additional outdoor living, collaboration areas provide plentiful meeting spaces, and an 850-car parking facility helps... More