Higher education has historically been a mainstay for many AEC firms, but the economic downturn forced many colleges and universities to stretch out, stall, or even cancel capital projects. One positive sign is the June 13 announcement by Harvard University that it will resume development of its 500,000- to 600,000-sf Allston Health and Life Science Center in 2014, after halting construction in 2009. The estimated $1 billion-plus in work has AEC firms champing at the bit.
Is the Harvard announcement a sign of good things to come? Maybe. Maybe not.
Carole Wedge, FAIA, LEED AP, President of Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott, says university capital budgets look like they’ll be tight for some time to come. “We’re seeing higher-ed clients looking for ways to be smart about their capital investments,” she says. “More than simply prioritizing their capital spending, they want to determine the most impactful projects for their campuses.”
Chris Brasier, FAIA, LEED AP, Vice President of Clark Nexsen Architecture & Engineering, says he has seen greater activity in master planning and advanced planning for future projects, as well as more deferred maintenance work. “With endowments and state funding still recovering from the great recession, existing facilities are being repurposed with greater emphasis on flexibility to accommodate a broad range of instructional activity within a single space,” he says.
“Flexibility” is the catchword in collegiate facilities these days. Shepley Bulfinch’s Wedge cites interdisciplinary science facilities like the future Harvard’s Allston science center, which will house facilities for stem cell science as well as engineering and physical sciences, and the new College of Design, Engineering, and Commerce at Philadelphia University.
Brad Lukanic, AIA, LEED AP, Principal at Cannon Design, has noticed a trend toward flexibility at community colleges. “Space is at a premium, and we need to design buildings that offer learning everywhere,” he says. The focus must go beyond just the classroom, even into the corridors and collaboration spaces. “Everything must be flexible and ready for learning all the time,” he says.
STRETCHING BEYOND LEED
Universities are seeking more bang for the buck in terms of sustainability as well. Clark Nexsen’s Brasier says collegiate clients are demanding more than LEED certification: They’re expecting a bottom-line benefit in terms of reduced operating costs, especially through improved energy performance.
ZGF Architects’ Partner Ted Hyman, FAIA, agrees that clients are looking to sustainable design as a means to trim O&M costs, but says they don’t necessarily want to pay more for green buildings. “Using an integrated design approach and new analytical tools for performance modeling, we are finding we can deliver high-performance buildings at the same, or even lower, capital costs,” he says.
With some 677 institutions having signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, achieving carbon neutrality is the ultimate goal. “Campuses are utilizing pilot projects to test implementation strategies on one building that could then be rolled out across campus,” says Chris Flint Chatto, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP. The ZGF Sustainable Design Associate points to his firm’s design for the University of Washington’s Molecular Engineering & Sciences building, which uses natural ventilation and phase change materials to eliminate cooling needs for faculty offices.
TRACKING THE TRENDS
Specific academic building types are experiencing change, according to Clark Nexsen’s Brasier. For example, the demand on campuses for more robust digital capacity is resulting in larger, more complex data centers. Libraries are filling up with team rooms, not only to foster greater collaboration among students, but also to provide advanced computer technology that most students can’t afford.
Gen Y students also have high expectations for residence halls, according to Clark Nexsen’s Operations Director Peter Aranyi, AIA, and Senior Architect Ken Gallaugher, AIA, LEED AP BD+C. From personal bathrooms to high-speed Internet access and flat-screen TVs, they expect privacy and a “live-and-learn” community atmosphere. Security is also a top priority, so res hall locks have gone wireless.
With jobs in short supply, more collegians are going to school year-round. This presents an operations hurdle for university facilities staff and construction firms that would normally use the summer months to repair and update facilities.
Interest in the use of building information modeling is also picking up, especially in the design and construction of research facilities, says Angus Leary, Chief Operating Officer, Northeast Region, Suffolk Construction. For science and technology projects, he says, “BIM is basically a requirement,” and his firm has begun utilizing 6D technology in this space.
Cautious optimism seems to be the best way to describe the university market. Suffolk Construction’s Leary says his firm is fairly bullish about work at institutions in the Northeast. Allyn Stellmacher, Design Partner at ZGF Architects, says the firm is “optimistic that this year is the last year of the recession.”
Fingers crossed. +
TOP 25 UNIVERSITY SECTOR ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
Rank | Company | 2011 University Revenue ($) |
1 | Cannon Design | 87,000,000 |
2 | Perkins+Will | 44,649,973 |
3 | ZGF Architects | 31,513,344 |
4 | EYP Architecture & Engineering | 24,958,224 |
5 | SmithGroupJJR | 23,100,000 |
6 | HOK | 22,759,496 |
7 | Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott | 22,234,000 |
8 | IBI Group | 22,136,504 |
9 | Gensler | 19,250,500 |
10 | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill | 17,783,000 |
11 | Ballinger | 17,460,661 |
12 | SHW Group | 16,273,552 |
13 | Hammel, Green and Abrahamson | 16,200,000 |
14 | HMC Architects | 15,882,470 |
15 | Sasaki Associates | 14,861,566 |
16 | Flad Architects | 14,440,000 |
17 | HNTB Architecture | 13,220,652 |
18 | DLR Group | 13,140,000 |
19 | Perkins Eastman | 13,000,000 |
20 | Ennead Architects | 11,600,000 |
21 | S/L/A/M Collaborative, The | 10,658,510 |
22 | BSA LifeStructures | 10,303,967 |
23 | Heery International | 9,536,000 |
24 | LPA | 9,469,765 |
25 | Moseley Architects | 9,140,000 |
TOP 25 UNIVERSITY SECTOR ENGINEERING FIRMS
Rank | Company | 2011 University Revenue ($) |
1 | URS Corp. | 85,600,000 |
2 | Jacobs | 75,100,000 |
3 | Stantec | 63,450,000 |
4 | AECOM Technology Corp. | 63,000,000 |
5 | Atkins North America | 29,899,688 |
6 | Parsons Brinckerhoff | 21,900,000 |
7 | STV | 19,765,000 |
8 | Clark Nexsen | 18,681,885 |
9 | Eaton Energy Solutions | 15,863,119 |
10 | R.G. Vanderweil Engineers | 13,707,500 |
11 | Burns & McDonnell | 13,430,931 |
12 | KJWW Engineering Consultants | 11,117,473 |
13 | KPFF Consulting Engineers | 11,000,000 |
14 | Arup | 10,604,123 |
15 | Bard, Rao + Athanas Consulting Engineers | 9,800,000 |
16 | Simpson Gumpertz & Heger | 8,690,000 |
17 | M/E Engineering | 7,700,000 |
18 | WSP USA | 7,300,000 |
19 | Bergmann Associates | 7,100,000 |
20 | Dewberry | 7,023,489 |
21 | P2S Engineering | 6,777,497 |
22 | Sebesta Blomberg | 6,695,924 |
23 | Stanley Consultants | 6,100,000 |
24 | RMF Engineering | 6,000,000 |
25 | Heapy Engineering | 5,869,055 |
TOP 25 UNIVERSITY SECTOR CONSTRUCTION FIRMS
Rank | Company | 2011 University Revenue ($) |
1 | M+W U.S. | 908,412,342 |
2 | Gilbane Building Co. | 847,038,000 |
3 | Turner Corp., The | 748,000,000 |
4 | PCL Construction Enterprises | 682,884,910 |
5 | Skanska USA | 514,460,894 |
6 | Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., The | 505,659,766 |
7 | Swinerton | 302,950,000 |
8 | Balfour Beatty US | 299,314,655 |
9 | Structure Tone | 275,420,000 |
10 | Sundt Construction | 254,698,897 |
11 | Hunt Construction Group | 247,500,000 |
12 | JE Dunn Construction | 236,307,786 |
13 | McCarthy Holdings | 217,000,000 |
14 | W. M. Jordan Co. | 191,930,824 |
15 | Shawmut Design and Construction | 179,900,000 |
16 | Messer Construction | 178,769,470 |
17 | Suffolk Construction | 172,662,764 |
18 | Flintco | 171,600,000 |
19 | Mortenson Construction | 169,890,000 |
20 | Tutor Perini Corp. | 167,393,000 |
21 | Manhattan Construction Group | 163,093,000 |
22 | Lend Lease | 157,270,352 |
23 | Hensel Phelps Construction | 156,030,000 |
24 | Barton Malow | 148,648,720 |
25 | Austin Industries | 142,032,883 |
Related Stories
Affordable Housing | Mar 11, 2024
Los Angeles’s streamlined approval policies leading to boom in affordable housing plans
Since December 2022, Los Angeles’s planning department has received plans for more than 13,770 affordable units. The number of units put in the approval pipeline in roughly one year is just below the total number of affordable units approved in Los Angeles in 2020, 2021, and 2022 combined.
BIM and Information Technology | Mar 11, 2024
BIM at LOD400: Why Level of Development 400 matters for design and virtual construction
As construction projects grow more complex, producing a building information model at Level of Development 400 (LOD400) can accelerate schedules, increase savings, and reduce risk, writes Stephen E. Blumenbaum, PE, SE, Walter P Moore's Director of Construction Engineering.
AEC Tech | Mar 9, 2024
9 steps for implementing digital transformation in your AEC business
Regardless of a businesses size and type, digital solutions like workflow automation software, AI-based analytics, and integrations can significantly enhance efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness.
Office Buildings | Mar 8, 2024
Conference room design for the hybrid era
Sam Griesgraber, Senior Interior Designer, BWBR, shares considerations for conference room design in the era of hybrid work.
Architects | Mar 8, 2024
98 architects elevated to AIA's College of Fellows in 2024
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is elevating 96 member-architects and 2 non-member-architects to its College of Fellows, an honor awarded to architects who have made significant contributions to the profession. The fellowship program was developed to elevate architects who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession and made a significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 7, 2024
Bjarke Ingels’ design for the Oakland A’s new Las Vegas ballpark resembles ‘a spherical armadillo’
Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) in collaboration with HNTB, the new ballpark for the Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball team will be located on the Las Vegas Strip and offer panoramic views of the city skyline. The 33,000-capacity covered, climate-controlled stadium will sit on nine acres on Las Vegas Boulevard.
Adaptive Reuse | Mar 7, 2024
3 key considerations when converting a warehouse to a laboratory
Does your warehouse facility fit the profile for a successful laboratory conversion that can demand higher rents and lower vacancy rates? Here are three important considerations to factor before proceeding.
Shopping Centers | Mar 7, 2024
How shopping centers can foster strong community connections
In today's retail landscape, shopping centers are evolving beyond mere shopping destinations to become vibrant hubs of community life. Here are three strategies from Nadel Architecture + Planning for creating strong local connections.
Market Data | Mar 6, 2024
Nonresidential construction spending slips 0.4% in January
National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.4% in January, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.190 trillion.
MFPRO+ Research | Mar 6, 2024
Top 10 trends in senior living facilities for 2024
The 65-and-over population is growing faster than any other age group. Architects, engineers, and contractors are coming up with creative senior housing solutions to better serve this burgeoning cohort.