BOWLING GREEN, Ky. 鈥� Western Kentucky University has reached financial close on a $350 million public-private partnership aimed at transforming its campus housing portfolio, marking the largest residential investment in the university鈥檚 history.听

The initiative, known as Elevate WKU, is a long-term partnership between WKU, Gilbane Development, the Collegiate Housing听Foundation听and other project partners. University officials say the project will modernize aging residence halls, improve student living听environments听and support future enrollment and retention goals. Financial close follows approvals by the WKU Board of Regents on April 24 and the Kentucky Capital Projects and Bond Oversight Committee on April 27.听

The partnership听utilizes听a 50-year ground lease structure that allows the university to听leverage听private-sector financing and development听expertise听while听maintaining听oversight of the听student听residential experience.听Under the arrangement, WKU will enter into a ground lease with the Collegiate Housing Foundation, a nonprofit organization that will serve as the owner and borrower for the project.听The organization鈥檚 nonprofit status allows the project to qualify for tax-exempt financing, reducing borrowing costs.听

Approximately $350 million in tax-exempt and taxable revenue bonds will fund the first phase of the initiative. According to WKU, the university will not be responsible for debt service on the bonds. Instead, revenue generated through student housing fees will be used to repay project debt. Any surplus revenue听remaining听after debt obligations and maintenance reserves are met will be returned to the university.听

The first phase includes听acquiring听the university鈥檚 existing housing facilities from the Student Life Foundation and replacing aging housing infrastructure with new residential communities. Plans call for the demolition of Douglas-Keen and Hugh-Poland halls, as well as a nearby dining facility, to make way for a new residence hall and dining complex.听

The new development will provide approximately 1,000 beds and is scheduled to break ground in fall 2026, with completion听anticipated听for fall 2028. In addition to new construction, improvements are planned for existing housing facilities across campus.听

The Student Life Foundation will separately oversee the demolition of Hilltopper Hall, which university officials determined is beyond repair. Normal Hall and Regents Hall are currently undergoing repairs and will eventually be transferred to the Collegiate Housing Foundation once renovations are complete.听

Project leaders said the broader initiative will modernize WKU鈥檚 residential offerings over time, including the gradual replacement of traditional community-bathroom residence halls with suite-style accommodations. Planned amenities include collaborative study lounges, community gathering spaces, living-learning听communities听and a central dining facility intended to support student engagement.听

University President Timothy C. Caboni described the project as a significant investment in the student experience. In statements released by both the university and project partners, Caboni said the initiative will provide modern housing while听maintaining听affordability for students.听

Under the partnership structure, WKU will听retain听authority over residential life programming and student experience decisions through a shared governance model. Inwood Management will oversee day-to-day operations and maintenance of the housing portfolio while working alongside the university鈥檚 Residence Life team.听

University officials cited research听indicating听that students living in intentional, on-campus residential environments often experience stronger academic outcomes and higher retention rates. They said the Elevate WKU initiative is intended to ensure campus infrastructure supports student success while addressing long-term housing needs.听

The project is expected to serve as the foundation for a broader, multi-phase effort to modernize campus housing and residential life at WKU in the coming decades.

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NILES, Ill.鈥擟onstruction is set to begin in June 2022 on expanding Culver School, a PreK-8 elementary school located in Niles, a city located 14 miles northwest of Chicago.

With a completion date slated for late summer 2023, the $14.5 million renovation and expansion project will relieve an overall space crunch and better accommodate Nile School District 71鈥檚 fast-growing early childhood program and improve conditions for final arts, physical education, and educational opportunities.

The project will add 30,000 square feet to the existing 100,000 square feet, while renovating approximately 12,000 square feet inside.

In November, the school district hired Gilbane Building Co. of Rhode Island and Chicago as the construction manager. The district has engaged STR Partners of Chicago as architect on the project.

STR Partners is planning a series of virtual meetings with stakeholders to inform parents and community members and seek their input into the plans. Later this year, final plans will be drawn up and a formal construction bidding process will begin.

鈥淲e are using every classroom now,鈥� said School Superintendent John Kosirog, in a statement.

鈥淓very space in the building is currently occupied, including using part of the library for classes.鈥�

The project also includes a complete remodel of the library. The music and band rooms on the west side of the building will be converted into early childhood classrooms that will have a separate entrance and dedicated outdoor play space for the young children. The music rooms will be relocated to the new space and an orchestra room added.

The addition will include a new combination gym and fine arts stage space large enough to host school sporting and fine arts events and seat approximately 750 people. That is expected to reduce or eliminate conflicts that arise because the PE and athletics programs and the music program must share the current gym, which will remain available.

The second floor of the addition will include two new state-of-the-art STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) classrooms and an outdoor green roof that will also serve as educational space.

In the past six years, enrolment at Culver School has increased from approximately 580 students to 660 students.

鈥淭he project will allow us to create engaging, student-centered 21^st-century learning spaces for students,鈥� said School Board President Matt Holbrook, in a statement. 鈥淲e’re very excited.鈥�

The project will be paid for from district fund balances and an anticipated $800,000 per year in new property taxes to be gained from expiration of a tax-increment financing (TIF) district. School officials say it will not require a referendum or property tax increase.

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NEW HAVEN, Conn. 鈥撯�� The Connecticut Building Congress (CBC) recognized the nationally renowned architecture, art and advisory firm Svigals + Partners of New Haven by awarding the firm for two of its projects based on team partnership and collaboration 鈥撯�� 听one of which was a STEM school. The double CBC honors was presented at the organization’s 2018 Annual Project Team Awards Banquet on June 12 for “outstanding collaborative efforts” of the project teams, including the owner group, designers, construction firms and other participants.

The first-place award went to Svigals + Partners for its work on the Engineering and Science University Magnet School听(ESUMS), a school that opened in 2017 and has become recognized as 鈥渁n innovative makerspace campus鈥� for grades 6-12. Gilbane Building Company of Providence, R.I., joined in as the construction manager partner, along with the client group that included the University of New Haven and the New Haven Board of Education. The unique collaboration resulted in a contemporary and advanced learning environment by consulting stakeholder groups, while even allowing students from the school to participate in the process through their Kids Build! Program, which helped them better understand the components of the building as it was being designed. Many of the ESUMS workshops, classrooms and lab rooms are enclosed with operable glass partitions, creating bright and inspiring learning spaces that can be opened up to adjacent hallways for larger informal gatherings and team-based work.

鈥淭his unique collaboration with the university and the school board has resulted in a state-of-the-art learning environment that affords greater access to educational resources for the more than 600 students it serves,鈥� said Julia McFadden, AIA, associate principal with听Svigals听+ Partners, in a 鈥淥ur team worked closely with multiple stakeholder groups to achieve ambitious results 鈥� a construction project emblematic of the New Haven Board of Education’s commitment to the community and to superior education.鈥�

Creating flexible and accommodating classrooms was a key component of the design, with glass dividers opening up into hallway learning spaces that widen on each end, offering a space where ESUMS students can study or work together on comfortable chairs and couches. The engineering laboratories are equipped for innovative STEM education while offering views to the University of New Haven campus, with the idea of providing inspiration to the students鈥� pursuit of a continued education. The building is designed to join prototyping technology with CLABs located throughout the school with a central makerspace accessible in the heart of the building.

The five-story facility offers boundless access to educational resources for their 600-student body, and a first-hand learning representation for STEM education, featuring state-of-the-art labs, computer and 3-D printers. Svigals + Partners designed ESUMS to match the school鈥檚 rigorous science and technology curriculum while also incorporating a special focus on integrating arts education. The out-stretched, cantilevered wings are made up of high-performance glass and louvered blinds to help regulate solar heat gain. The exterior also includes sculptures bearing the faces of inventors and scientists from the area, including Eli Whitney and A.C. Gilbert. The design element was specifically tailored with the ESUMS curriculum in mind, which encourages proficiency in self-discipline, critical-thinking, open-mindedness, risk-taking and creative problem solving.

鈥淓SUMS is a wonderful example of what can take place when local municipalities, the state and higher education collaborate to create a school that is the first of its kind in Connecticut.听This innovative school will enable generations of students to become tomorrow鈥檚 leaders in a wide array of scientific and technological fields, and it will directly benefit the citizens of our region, our state and our nation.鈥� said听Steven H. Kaplan, the president of the University of New Haven, in a

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The new structure is the largest new building to have been erected in downtown Buffalo in recent decades and was constructed from sustainable materials and methods with the goal of obtaining LEED Gold certification.

Serving as construction manager,  (LiRo) partnered with Gilbane Building Company in the joint venture with architect  and general contractor LPCiminelli helping bring it to fruition. SUCF contracted with LiRo-Gilbane following the completion of the schematic design phase prior to its design development. All companies have offices in New York.

鈥淭his building fully integrates medical education into Buffalo鈥檚 growing academic health center, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and strengthening our relationships with our clinical partners,” said Michael Cain, MD, vice president for health sciences at UB and dean of the Jacobs School, in a statement. 鈥淎 medical school that is just steps away from UBMD Physicians鈥� Group at Conventus, John R. Oishei Children鈥檚 Hospital, Buffalo General Medical Center, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and all of our other partners will foster synergies that will expand and improve healthcare in Western New York.”

Funded through the NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant Program, the $375 million Jacobs School is part of a larger initiative to encourage state economic growth as well as bolster public university and college academic programs. To that end, UB received $35 million in 2011 for the new building, which was administered through the Empire State Development Corporation and SUCF. Throughout, LiRo managed pre-construction and served as project manager for the general construction and the mechanical, electrical and plumbing aspects of the project.

The building鈥檚 striking aesthetic is largely the result of its terra cotta tile fa莽ade, which underlies its rain-screen system. The tile is a visual echo of the area’s historic buildings and required the use of nearly 27,000 locally made tiles.

Inasmuch as the exteriors are designed to reflect the look of local history, the interiors are a nod to new modalities of learning. The new Jacobs School building is designed to spur interactions among students and the faculty via the use of glass-enclosed and otherwise open spaces. The effort is meant to encourage chance encounters, as conference rooms surround a large central atrium and lounge furniture is arrayed in an open manner that enables group discussions. Many spaces are designed with flexible use-case scenarios in mind, from modular research laboratories that can expand and contract as necessary to desks that readily configure into tables for conferences.

“LiRo is proud to have overseen the construction of this world-class, $375 million hub for life science, technological innovation and learning,” observed Luis M. Tormenta, PE, LiRo鈥檚 CEO and vice chairman, in a statement. “We have delivered to the University at Buffalo an ultramodern facility that will serve its students, faculty, researchers and the community for a long time to come.”

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BABSON PARK, Mass. 鈥� A groundbreaking celebration took place for the new recreation and athletics center at Babson College in Babson Park on Sept. 16, during homecoming weekend for the school. The project is slated to be completed in time for Babson College鈥檚 Centennial celebration in the fall of 2019.

Construction on the project began in August, and the new center will be 75,000 square feet 鈥� nearly doubling the size of Babson鈥檚 current athletics and recreation facilities. The architect on the project is Cambridge Seven Associates of Cambridge, Mass., with Boston-based Gilbane Building Company providing pre-construction planning and construction management services for the project.

There were multiple goals for this project; one is to to improve the quality and quantity of available fitness equipment and resources, and strengthen the overall experience for varsity student athletes, according to Lawrence P. Ward, the project鈥檚 executive sponsor and vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students at Babson College. Additionally, its contemporary design will serve the Babson community well by offering a new space for convening large campus events, such as student orientation, career fairs, conferences, concerts and more, according to Ward.

The new facility will feature a large, two-story fitness and recreation area with state-of-the-art cardio equipment and a weight room. There will be multipurpose studio spaces for yoga, dance and aerobics classes as well as dedicated varsity locker rooms, an expanded sports medicine area and an advanced strength, cardio and conditioning area for varsity sports teams. There will be three courts for recreational sports and improved locker room facilities for all students, in addition to a large, flexible space to host major college events during any season.

The college began construction on a new tennis court facility in the spring. The new courts were designed by Activitas Inc. of Dedham, Mass., and are being constructed by R.A.D. Sports of Rockland, Mass. The new courts will be made from post-tensioned concrete, which will provide a first-rate surface for varsity teams, recreational athletes, summer programs and community use. The courts will be fully lit and will have court-side bleacher seating.

鈥淚n college, students develop lifestyle and personal habits that will follow them throughout their lives, so it is important that we set a healthy foundation that will sustain their success in the future,鈥� said Ward. 鈥淭he new Babson Recreation and Athletics Center is intended to encourage students to invest in their physical well-being, relieve stress and achieve a stronger, overall sense of balance while in school.鈥�

In addition to offering improved and updated athletic capabilities, the new facility will increase the amount of landscaped areas and reduce the number of impermeable surfaces on the site. 鈥淎 stormwater rain garden will improve the quality control naturally while providing a beautiful landscape feature,鈥� said Ward.

A high percentage of glazing in the recreational spaces will provide natural daylight and connectivity to the outdoors. Regional and recycled content as well as low-emitting materials will be used throughout the building. Water-use reduction and efficient lighting systems will help the college to achieve LEED certification for the building. In addition, educational outreach will be implemented in order to communicate the importance of sustainability for the campus to students.

鈥淭his project represents the largest facilities investment in student and campus life in Babson College鈥檚 history,鈥� said Ward. 鈥淎lthough a larger and more contemporary athletic and recreation facility has been part of the college鈥檚 master plan for several years, this project is special because it also creates space for large-scale student programming and other campus community events. The physical size, design and location of the facility dramatically improves the Westgate campus entrance and also adds much needed energy to the end of College Drive, which is the main thoroughfare on campus.鈥�

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