Industry News


Case Study

University of Virginia Partners with BenchPro on Studio Space

The University of Virginia School of Architecture (UVA) is providing students with a new and improved design education environment which includes a 24,000 square foot renovation project as well as model making spaces.

West Feliciana High School Freshman Academy

Campus Renovations

Louisiana High School Opens New CTE Center

A Louisiana high school recently completed a series of construction and renovation projects with the ribbon-cutting for its new Career Technical Education Center.

indoor Air Quality

Poppy Health Releases Results of Pilot Study Regarding Indoor Air Safety Monitoring

Air monitoring systems provider Poppy Health recently released the results of a pilot study that it conducted alongside Primary.Health to test indoor air at California K–12 schools, according to a news release.

Jeff Livingston, Spiezle Architectural Group

Staffing

Spiezle Architectural Group Hires New Director of Campus Architecture

Architectural, interior design, landscape architecture, and planning firm Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., recently announced that Jeff B. Livingston, RA, NCARB will join the firm as its new Director of Campus Architecture.

New Construction

LSU Health Shreveport, Perkins&Will to Collaborate on Dual Projects

LSU Health Shreveport and the Houston Studio of architecture and design firm Perkins&Will have announced design details about two upcoming projects for the academic medical center located in Shreveport, La.

Campus Renovations

University of Kentucky Names Upcoming Outdoor Development Project

The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently announced that its upcoming Rose Street Development Park Project will be named the Alumni Commons.

Maple River K12 School

New Construction

Southern Minnesota Gains New K–12 School

The Maple River School District in Mapleton, Minn., recently finished construction on a new, $63-million K–12 school. The new facility covers 200,000 square feet and will serve students in the rural communities of Amboy, Good Thunder, Mapleton and Minnesota Lake, according to a news release.

Campus Security

Michigan School District Selects Gun-Detection Security Solution

A Michigan school district recently selected an AI-based gun detection platform to combat the recent rise in active shooter events, according to a press release.

Sustainability

Virginia School District Set to Save $3.1M in Energy, Operating Costs

Fredericksburg City Public Schools in Fredericksburg, Va., recently partnered with facility solutions provider ABM on the creation of an Energy Performance Contracting program. The solution will save the district an estimated $3.1 million in energy and operating costs over the next fifteen years, according to a news release.

New Construction

Wisconsin Medical School Breaks Ground on Cancer Research Facility

The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wis., recently broke ground on a 150,000-square-foot cancer research facility that will be the first of its kind in both the city of Milwaukee and in eastern Wisconsin, according to a news release. The MCW Cancer Research Building will centralize the college’s 700 cancer-related researchers and 135 lab spaces currently spread across its campus into a single location.



New Construction

Construction Delays Opening of MSU’s John Goodman Amphitheater

Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo., recently announced that the opening of its new John Goodman Amphitheater has been delayed until late October. The project was originally expected to be completed by early summer, in time for the beginning of the 60th season of the university’s Tent Theatre program.

Florida Polytechnic University Applied Research Center

New Construction

Florida Polytechnic University Debuts New Applied Research Center

Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland, Fla., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new, $47-million Applied Research Center. The facility measures in at more than 90,000 square feet, according to a university news release, and it houses amenities like research and teaching laboratories, student design space, faculty offices and conference rooms, and study spaces.

STEM Education

PA District Opens Middle School eSports Arena

Duquesne City School District in Pennsylvania has formally opened an eSports arena on its K–8 campus in the Pittsburgh area. The space, designed for use by middle schoolers, will also double as a computer science/makerspace lab.

Campus Renovations

Brown University Completes Dining Hall Renovations

Brown University in Providence, R.I., recently completed a $3-million renovation of one of its campus dining facilities, according to university news.

Campus Technology

OSU Develops College Application Online Toolkit

Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore., recently announced that it has launched an online toolkit to help students around the world complete the college application process. The resource, AXS Companion, launched on Sept. 1 and is available free of charge, according to a university news release.

Campus Renovations

Truman State University to Renovate Historic Building into Student Success Center

Construction will begin soon on the campus of Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., to convert a historic building into a Student Success Center. A renovation project was announced in February 2022 with construction scheduled to begin in August. A recent local news story reports that construction is on track and that university officials have been conducting meetings with architects during the summer and into the fall.

Campus Sustainability

Twenty North Carolina Schools Receive Solar Educational Package

Nonprofit organization NC GreenPower recently announced the recipients of its 2022 Solar+ Schools grant program. The program provides K–12 schools across North Carolina with the funds to establish a 5-kW solar energy system on campus, according to a news release.

New Construction

Architecture Firm Celebrates Project Completions for New School Year

VLK Architects recently announced that it has completed a series of projects on a wide variety of K–12 campuses in Texas in time for the new school year.

New Construction

University of Maine Opens New Engineering, Design Center

The University of Maine in Orono, Maine, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new E. James and Eileen P. Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center (Ferland EEDC) on Wednesday, Aug. 24.

Campus Amenities

Arizona State University, LACCD Collaborate on Transfer Pathways Program

The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) recently announced a partnership with Arizona State University (ASU) to create MyPath2ASU, an online program that provides LACCD students with a method of transferring to the latter school to earn a four-year degree.

New Construction

Construction Delays First Day of Classes at Nebraska Elementary School

Ada Robinson Elementary School in Lincoln, Neb., had its first day of school on Monday, August 29—two weeks later than planned.

Campus Technology

OptiMA, Inc. Partners with Newline Interactive for Interactive Display Boards

Visual communication solutions provider OptiMA, Inc. recently announced a partnership with Newline Interactive to provide Newline’s interactive display boards through OptiMA’s online store, MyWhiteboards.com, according to a news release.

Daytona State College Deltona Campus Building 2

New Construction

Daytona State College Deltona Campus Breaks Ground on Second Building

The Daytona State College (DSC) Deltona Campus in Deltona, Fla., recently broke ground on the campus’ second building. Currently known as Building 2, the facility will serve as a multi-disciplinary laboratory and academic space to house classrooms and workforce training labs.

Roofing

Garland Company Wins Contract from Equalis Group

Roofing and building envelope solutions provider The Garland Company recently announced that it has been awarded a contract from The Cooperative Council of Governments (CCOG), an Equalis Group Lead Agency, according to a news release.

New Construction

University of Rochester to Expand Laser Lab

The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently announced that ground has been broken on a $42-million expansion to its Laboratory for Laser Energetics.

SMCC Science Complex

New Construction

Arizona Community College Readies New Science Complex

Construction is complete on a $13.6-million Science Complex at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Ariz., according to a recent press release. The complex includes the total renovation of two existing buildings and new construction of a 19,000-square-foot Physical and Life Science Building.

Weymouth Chapman Middle School

New Construction

New, $163M Middle School to Open in Massachusetts

A new middle school in Weymouth, Mass., is ready to welcome students for the new academic year. Maria Weston Chapman Middle School covers 252,000 square feet and will play home to more than 1,400 students sixth- through eighth-graders, according to a press release.

New Construction

Kentucky District Opens New Elementary School

Bowling Green Independent Schools in Bowling Green, Ky., recently celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new elementary facility, Rich Pond Elementary School.

New Construction

UConn Board of Trustees Approves New Residence Hall

The Board of Trustees for the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Conn., recently approved the construction of a new residence hall in south campus.

New Construction

Failed Inspection Delays Opening of New Elementary School

The grand opening of a new elementary school for Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Ky., has been postponed after the facility failed to pass a Louisville Metro government inspection last week, according to a district press release.

Campus Lighting

Brightline Debuts Fluorescent-to-LED Conversion Kit

Video lighting systems solutions provider Brightline recently announced the debut of a retrofit package that lets users upgrade Brightline S1.2 or S1.4 fluorescent studio fixtures to LED fixtures.

Jill Ackers VS America

Staffing

VS America Names New Education Director

Furniture solutions company VS America recently announced that it has named Jill Ackers as its new Education Director, responsible for the company’s educational planning and professional development.

Healthy Schools

Modine Launches K–12 IAQ Improvement Campaign

HVAC industry solutions provider Modine Manufacturing Company recently announced a new resource to help K–12 facilities managers monitor their school’s IAQ (indoor air quality) needs.

New Construction

STEAM Center Construction at University of St. Thomas Underway

At the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., construction is underway on a new centralized home for STEAM education. The Schoenecker Center will stand five stories and cover more than 130,000 square feet to integrate the school’s art, science, engineering and innovation programs.

New Construction

Penn State Approves Plans for New Liberal Arts Facility

The Board of Trustees at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Penn., recently approved final plans for the construction of a new, $127.7-million liberal arts building.

New Construction

Midland College Breaks Ground on Pre-K Academy

Midland College in Midland, Texas, recently broke ground on a 60,000-square-foot facility designed to address a shortage of early childhood education centers and a shortage of teachers in the area.

New Construction

Orange County District to Open 5 New Schools

Orange County Public Schools in Orange County, Fla., will open five new schools in August to accommodate rising enrollment figures, according to a news release.

Harlem Academy interior

Campus Renovations

Construction Firm Completes Two Projects for Manhattan Private Schools

A recent news release reports that construction firm EW Howell Construction Group has completed expansion and renovation projects at two private K–8 schools in Manhattan, N.Y.

Zumbro Education District Special Education Center

New Construction

Minnesota District to Open New Special Education Facility

The Zumbro Education District in Byron, Minn., recently completed construction on a new special education facility for the district. According to a news release, the $16.47-million, 61,031-square-foot space will serve as a combined learning center for three separate program types for at-risk K–12 students.

New Construction

Saddleback College Opens New STEM Facility

Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif., recently opened a new STEM facility on its campus. The Advanced Technology and Applied Sciences (ATAS) building measures in at 52,913 square feet and provides multidisciplinary space for labs and classrooms, general instructional areas, and administrative space.