By Lindsey Coulter

DETROIT — Wayne State University has broken ground on its new $200 million Health Sciences Research Building (HSRB), a 160,000-square-foot facility designed to accelerate biomedical discovery and strengthen the university’s ties to the Detroit community.

The five-story building will house research programs in oncology, neurosciences, systems biology and immunology, and metabolism and infectious diseases. University officials said the design emphasizes collaboration and flexibility, with dedicated laboratories, shared amenities and connections to surrounding health and academic facilities.

“This new building represents Wayne State’s deep and enduring commitment to improving the health and economic strength of Detroit, our region and the state of Michigan,” said Dr. Kimberly Andrews Espy, WSU president, in a statement. “Here, our world-class biomedical researchers, clinicians, students and community partners will come together to solve some of the most pressing health challenges of our time, and to ensure discoveries more quickly reach the people who need them most.”

The HSRB will support Wayne State’s long-standing clinical partnerships with Karmanos Cancer Institute/McLaren Health, the Detroit Medical Center and other community organizations. Designed with green infrastructure, landscaped gathering areas and outdoor seating, the project also aims for LEED Silver certification.

Dr. Bernard Costello, senior vice president for health affairs said that the project represents the University’s dedication to improving health through collaboration — not just within the university, but across the entire community. “We are creating a space where research meets real-world impact and where our strong relationships with clinical partners and community organizations can continue to support discoveries that will shape the future of health care,” Costello said.

Funding includes a $100 million commitment from the State of Michigan, with the balance provided through university resources and philanthropy. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the project will attract talent and spur economic growth. “This new building will help Michigan attract and retain some of the brightest minds to make breakthrough medical discoveries that make a real difference in peoples’ lives and help them get better,” she said.

The facility’s design calls for a pedestrian bridge connecting to Scott Hall and a dedicated walkway to the Elliman Research Building, creating a research corridor between basic scientists, clinicians and students. Interiors will be configured for adaptability, supporting both current and emerging technologies.

“The Health Sciences Research Building will be a powerful catalyst for advancing cancer research and care,” said Dr. Boris Pasche, chair of Wayne State’s Department of Oncology and president and CEO of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.

The project team includes Kramer Management as owner’s representative, HKS Architects & Designers, Osborn Engineering, the Christman Company as construction firm, and Wayne State University’s Facilities Planning and Management.

“A project of this magnitude is only possible because of the skill, vision and dedication of the many tradespeople, engineers and architects who are bringing it to life,” said Bethany Gielczyk, Wayne State’s senior vice president for finance and business affairs and chief financial officer.

Design development is complete, with construction underway. Completion is targeted for early 2028.

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EVANSTON, Ill. — Construction on Northwestern University’s Ryan Field, the $850 million project that will become the most expensive college football stadium in history, resumed earlier this month with metal decking and steel erection work underway. The new 35,000-seat facility will replace the original Ryan Field, built in 1926, and aims to deliver a world-class experience with premier seating, modern amenities and advanced technology. ��

The project is being completed by the joint venture of national construction firm Turner Construction and Chicago-based The Walsh Group, with design work by national firm HNTB Chicago-based firm Perkins&Will. The firm site design group, ltd., also based in Chicago, joins the Chicago and Madison civil engineering teams of SmithGroup on the design team. ��

Approved by the Evanston City Council in November 2023, groundwork began in February 2024 with the demolition of the original Ryan Field. The last piece of the original stadium, a press box, was removed in May, and a groundbreaking ceremony followed in June 2024.��

Inspired by NFL stadiums and English Premier League stadiums, Ryan Field will feature enhanced sightlines and a state-of-the-art canopy to improve light and sound for an immersive fan experience. Despite its reduced seating capacity — down 30% from the original — the stadium’s footprint will expand by 78%, covering 125,000 square feet. Surrounding the stadium, community green spaces, plazas and parks are planned for use in entertainment, dining and events.��

The design adheres to Universal Design Standards, ensuring accessibility for all visitors and meeting American Disability Act (ADA) requirements. Sustainability is a priority as well. More than 99% of materials from the original stadium will be recycled and repurposed, and the university is working toward LEED Gold certification.��

Northwestern University has pledged to allocate 35% of project contracts to minority-owned, woman-owned and local Evanston businesses, with $133 million already awarded. Local businesses, including Ozinga, Continental Electric and Illinois Masonry Corporation, have received $27 million so far, with the total expected to reach $200 million in contract awards to minority and women-owned business.��

Economic benefits are also anticipated, with the project expected to generate $659 million in economic impact for Evanston, $1.5 million in indirect tax revenue and more than 2,900 construction-related jobs.��

“We are extremely proud of the strong partnerships we have forged so far,” said Dave Davis, Northwestern University’s executive director of Neighborhood and Community Relations, in a statement. “We are encouraged to see that this generational investment is already having a meaningful and positive impact, and we look forward to seeing all we can accomplish through these partnerships.”��

The stadium is slated to be complete in 2026. ��

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"With the cost-competitive solar power generated by our SunPower systems, the university will control electricity costs and reduce our carbon footprint," said Willem van der Pol, interim associate vice president for facilities management at CSUF, in a statement. "CSUF has supported sustainability in our operations for more than two decades, and we are proud to support the long-term health of our students, staff and community by increasing our reliance on solar power."

SunPower is building solar carports on two CSUF parking structures as well as a parking lot. At all three sites, the company will install its high-efficiency, direct-current solar panels, the world’s first solar panels to achieve a Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver designation. All of the systems are expected to be operational by the end of 2016, and CSUF will own the renewable-energy credits associated with the systems.

“It is extremely rewarding to enable our higher-education institutions to achieve significant operational savings while inspiring students with the great potential of solar power," said Howard Wenger, SunPower president, business units, in a statement.

When operational, the solar power generated by the system will be equivalent to the energy used by 501 average American homes in one year, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates. SunPower estimates that one year of solar energy produced by the CSUF system could power more than 2,000 electric vehicles for 30 years, according to a statement by the firm.

This project is the latest in a 20-plus-year history of CSUF instituting efficient and sustainable practices. The campus installed its first 1-megawatt solar power system in 2012 and has constructed several LEED-certified buildings. Lighting efficiency is regularly upgraded, and low-flow fixtures and irrigation meters have also been installed across the campus. In addition to the university’s energy-smart, tri-generation plant, bio-swales were built to retain rainwater, and turf was replaced with drought-tolerant plants.
 

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The project was dedicated on Dec. 15 and is located on a 10-acre site owned by the university. As part of the two-year partnership, researchers from the university’s College of Engineering will study solar forecasting and the effects of solar panel soiling versus performance. Data analysis and performance reporting will occur through an additional partnership between Georgia Power and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) of Palo Alto, Calif.

The panels, located near the State Botanical Gardens, are arranged in three configurations, with one facing south and others facing southwest. Some of the panels will track the sun as it moves overhead, while others will also change compass directions to more closely track the sun, reported . On average, the panels move every couple minutes, and researchers will study the different configurations to see which provides the highest degree of energy efficiency. Ultimately, the new solar project will demonstrate optimal orientation and tracking technology suited for Georgia’s climate and energy demand with project partners studying the performance and reliability of the various fixed and tracking configurations.

"Working in coordination with the Georgia Public Service Commission, and through strong relationships with organizations such as UGA, we have positioned Georgia as a national solar leader," said Paul Bowers, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power, in a statement. "Now more than ever, it’s essential that we continue to invest in the research and development of new technologies to make solar, and all generation sources, as reliable, efficient and cost-effective for our customers as possible."

Georgia Power owns and will operate the facility under a 20-year lease agreement with the university. Energy produced by the facility will flow to the state’s electric grid to serve customers, and the university will receive the renewable energy credits (RECs).

"The complex problems facing our world today, such as the need to expand our sources of energy, require not only interdisciplinary efforts but also multi-institutional efforts that involve higher education, private industry and government," said UGA President Jere W. Morehead in a statement. "The Solar Tracking Demonstration Project is a perfect example of this type of broad collaboration, and the University of Georgia is pleased to be part of this exciting endeavor.”

While the solar tracking research will benefit the state, its location on the university campus will also benefit engineering students who are interested in learning about alternative energy sources. It also fits in with the school’s new experiential learning initiative, which requires undergraduate students to do something significant within their field of study outside the classroom, reported OnlineAthens. The project also ties into the university’s expanding commitment to research enterprises.

The solar tracking facility was installed by Atlanta-based Radiance Solar, which works with institutional, utility and commercial customers.
 

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The project required no upfront investment by the district and is expected to save upwards of $520,000 within the first year of operation alone, with $35 million in savings over the next 25 years by providing affordable power at a discount to utility rates, according to a statement by SolarCity, the San Mateo, Calif.-headquartered renewable electricity firm that completed the project.

“Like many school districts across the county, Temecula Valley has faced increasing budget cuts and rising operational expenses,” said Janet Dixon, director of facilities development at Temecula Valley Unified School District, in a statement. “With SolarCity, we found a creative way to cut our electricity bills. This money will free up funds for the district to invest in student programs and curriculum.”

Altogether, the project includes 18 solar carports and two ground-mount solar arrays. The carports will incorporate SolarCity’s ZS Beam technology, while five of the sites will also be equipped with DemandLogic, the company’s smart energy storage system. The systems will provide approximately 2,600-kilowatt hours of energy storage capacity that can later be intelligently dispatched during times of highest demand. In turn, the school district will reduce energy costs by using stored electricity to lower peak demand, further contributing to its overall cost savings.

With all elements combined, the system is expected to prevent more than 96,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere over its lifetime; the equivalent to taking more than 20,000 cars off the road for a year. In addition, because solar power production requires virtually no water, the system is expected to avoid the use of more than 4 billion gallons of water.

A Power Purchase Agreement with SolarCity will allow the district to only pay for the power the systems produce at a fixed rate that is less than what is currently offered by the local utility company, according to a statement by SolarCity. The district also retained independent energy consulting firm Sage Renewable Energy Consulting Inc. of Inverness, Calif., to help assess project feasibility and determine cost-effective, energy-optimizing designs for each site. The consultants helped to solicit and organize proposals for the projects and select the best candidate to meet the district’s specifications and goals, according to a statement by SolarCity.

Beyond simply providing energy cost savings, the project also promises to provide an opportunity for students to learn about solar energy and storage. The project will offer students access to a solar production monitoring system, allowing them to see exactly how much energy the schools’ photovoltaic panels are producing on an hourly, daily, monthly and yearly basis, according to a statement by SolarCity.

For more information on the project visit:

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“We believe this one megawatt installation will be the largest such undertaking by any higher education institution in the state of North Carolina,” said Catawba President Brien Lewis in a statement, “It will yield significant long-term benefits for the college.”

Innovative Design of Raleigh, N.C. is leading the project, while Sundance Power Systems of Weaverville, N.C. is serving as its solar developer.

The $5.2 million project will include the installation of numerous photovoltaic panels, as well as roof work on several buildings and the replacement of outdated, inefficient plumbing fixtures. These combined efforts are projected to save the private, 1,300-student college 11 percent on energy costs and 26 percent on water costs annually when compared with pre-installation and renovation figures. The capacity of the solar installations, located on eight buildings and a covered parking area, will rank as the second largest campus installation of solar energy in the southeast.

“Catawba College’s systems…will produce more solar-generated electricity than all other North Carolina colleges and universities combined,” said Mike Nicklas, president Innovative Design and the college’s consultant for the 2030 Green Step Initiative, in a statement. “The combination of those efforts over the next 20 years will save the college close to $5 million.”

While a large portion of the project will be funded through donations, the remainder is being supported by investors who are able to realize substantial tax credits for solar energy and who will, once the tax credits expire in a few years, donate the systems to the college, according to a statement by Catawba College.

Catawba is also a signatory of the American Colleges & Universities Presidents’ Climate Commitment of 2007.

“My hope is that our aggressive efforts to reduce energy consumption from non-renewable energy by 12 percent will serve as a wonderful example to others,” Lewis said in a statement. “The 2030 Green Step Initiative not only contributes to addressing climate change but it will yield significant financial and educational benefits for the College for decades to come. We are saying to our students and to those in our community that we don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk.”

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The solar and wind power systems are going in with an eye toward teaching students about renewable energy technology and saving schools money on their utility bills. Xavier’s solar power system is expected to shave 15 to 20 percent off of the school’s $65,000 annual electricity bill.

Estimated to cost $1.6 million, the system is being installed at no cost to the school with the help of a $400,000 federal treasury grant, a $750,000 Imperial Irrigation District grant, and $500,000 from Noble, which concluded a power purchase agreement with Xavier.

In October, Palm Springs Unified School District’s Board of Education agreed to commit $2.5 million from construction funds to green projects, including a solar and a wind project budgeted for $500,000 each. The rest of the funding is dedicated to energy conservation projects such as lighting replacement and energy management systems.

The wind project at Two Bunch Palms Elementary, which is awaiting environmental clearance, will likely begin constructed in 2011. It will take approximately eight years for the school to pay the money back on the turbines.

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