Bloomington, IL – Site preparation is now underway at Illinois Wesleyan for the newest addition to the university’s main quad: a technology-rich classroom building with a wide array of classroom, study, and social spaces.

Sustainability is the watchword from project outset, as construction waste and debris from the site is recycled. The brick-clad building will be highly energy-efficient, with generous use of natural light and a geothermal field below.

The new classroom building is Shepley Bulfinch’s third project on the Illinois Wesleyan campus, following the Ames Library, which opened in ...[more]

ATLANTA, GA – Emory University’s new building for the Candler School of Theology and the Center for Ethics was dedicated today in a ceremony led by Ben Johnson, Chair of Emory’s Board of Trustees.

The new building establishes a cohesive architectural presence that respects the individual identities of the School of Theology and Center for Ethics. The School, with its pitched clay tile roofs, stucco facades, and marble trim helps to frame a gateway to Emory’s historic campus that echoes the University’s Tuscan vocabulary.

The first phase of a two-phase project, the building provides Candler with a 175-seat tiered lecture hall, a classroom designed to support distance learning, seminar-style classrooms, and a ...[more]

2010 PKAL Learning Space Collaboratory National Colloquium. Whew! That’s quite a mouthful. I was fortunate enough to attend, and it was a great weekend of very robust discussion (and some fun!).

Under the guidance of Jeannie Narum, Principal of the Collaboratory, nearly a hundred educators, higher ed administrators, architects, planners, landscape architects, librarians, scientists, and others came together to share their knowledge and questions about “What We Know About Planning Learning Spaces and What We Still Need to Know”.

A combination of presentations, interactive sessions, small group work, the Colloquium modeled the type of ...[more]

PHOENIX, AZ – The renovation and addition of O’Donnell Hall, home to New Mexico State University’s School of Education, was named “Best of 2009 New Mexico” by Southwest Contractor magazine. The annual competition, now in its 12th year, recognizes design and construction excellence in New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada.

Project teams will be honored at an awards ceremony in Albuquerque December 8. O’Donnell Hall will also be among the winning projects profiled in the December 2008 issue of the magazine.

At O’Donnell Hall’s September 2008 dedication, Michael Morehead, the College’s interim dean, called it “a magnificent building and… a place where future educators can learn and thrive in a tremendous facility”. He ...[more]

BEVERLY, MA – In announcing the opening of the Center for Visual and Performing Arts at Endicott College this week, President Richard Wylie called the Center “a hallmark building on campus” that offers “an environment that is both challenging and supportive.”

The 62,000 s.f. Center will be dedicated in June when Endicott marks its 70th anniversary. It houses a range of arts studies and performance spaces, including a 250-seat recital hall; 100-seat black box theatre; music practice and rehearsal rooms; a gallery for visiting art exhibits; a gallery for student works; studios for painting, photography, printmaking, ceramics, and wood shop; and computer labs.

The project broke ground in the summer of 2007. ...[more]

LAS CRUCES, NM – Following the completion of its two-year renovation and expansion, New Mexico State University’s College of Education marked the re-opening of O’Donnell Hall with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration today.

Home to the College of Education since 1968, O’Donnell Hall was given a new and vibrant identity with the addition of a three-story wing, a new entry, additional classrooms, and an infusion of natural light. Michael Morehead, the College’s interim dean, called it “a magnificent building and… a place where future educators can learn and ...[more]

CINCINNATI, OH – Xavier University broke ground on the Hoff Academic Quadrangle project in a ceremony held today. Called “the most sweeping project in Xavier’s 177-year history”, The Quad, which will feature the Learning Commons and new Williams College of Business, will be the centerpiece of a transformation that will help Xavier meet the learning needs of its students in the 21st century.

The four-story, 88,000 sf Williams College of Business will house undergraduate and graduate business education programs and provide a prominent home for the Cintas Institute for Business Ethics, as well as the Center for Entrepreneurship and the Center for Investment Research. In addition to classrooms and offices, the ...[more]

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – Collaboration and research were key words at the dedication of the University of New Mexico’s Centennial Engineering Center today where Figaro, a student-built robot, cut the ceremonial ribbon.

“The Centennial Engineering Center will enable us to serve students in engineering and CS by giving them the hands-on experiences that are critical for the 21st century,” said Dean Joseph Cecchi in remarks to 400 invited guests. “The Center will increase the School’s capacity for innovation, multidisciplinary research, developing patents, creating new businesses, and economic growth.”

The New Mexico Business Weekly called the Center ...[more]