WHEELING, ILL. — Construction has commenced for a new community center at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, located at 181 W. Dundee Road in Wheeling. The project will include a 9,970-square-foot building containing meeting space, banquet space and a full kitchen. Completion is expected later this summer. The project team includes Woodridge, Ill.-based general contractor Morgan/Harbour Construction and architect Ruben L. Anastacio & Associates.
SAN MARCOS — Morris Architects has designed the $43 million state-of-the-art performing arts center that has recently broken ground at Texas State University-San Marcos. The complex features a 400-seat proscenium theatre with fly tower and a 300-seat music recital hall. The performing arts center faces University Drive and will include a 450-car parking garage.
DENVER — The Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District celebrated the completion of “The New North,” an $18.5-million, privately funded streetscape renovation project, with a free festival and concert on Sunday. “The New North” project included new landscaping, as well as a variety of water, lighting and energy conservation efforts. The BID also renovated Fillmore Plaza and upgraded its infrastructure.
ST. LOUIS — Construction is complete for the Missouri University of Science and Technology's new Kummer Student Design Center. The $2.75 million project consisted of the redevelopment of a former bread factory into a 23,000-square-foot facility containing space for the school's design teams as well as retail space.
SEAGOVILLE — Cadence McShane Construction Co. has been selected by the Dallas Independent School District (ISD) to complete the new Seagoville North Elementary School. The 106,462-square-foot elementary school will support 810 pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students and will be located on a 14-acre site at 1906 Seagoville Rd. in Seagoville. The facility will be constructed as an environmentally sustainable school. The new school is part of the 2008 Dallas ISD Bond Program, a $1.3 billion, multi-phased capital improvement plan. The program includes the construction of 14 new schools, 13 school additions and miscellaneous efforts to improve technology, science laboratories, meal service and sports complexes.
CHICAGO — The University of Chicago is developing the new William Eckhardt Research Center, a $215 million project located on campus on the site of the current Research Institutes Building. The structure, along with the Low Temp Building and the Astronomy and Astrophysics Center, will be demolished to make way for the 265,000-square-foot Eckhardt Center. The new building will contain five stories above grade and two below grade. It will feature laboratories, offices and conference rooms for the Division of Physical Sciences. A bridge will connect the new building to the existing Accelerator Building. In addition, the new Institute of Molecular Engineering will be housed within the Eckhardt Center. Thornton Tomasetti is serving as structural engineer of record.
HOUSTON — Turner Construction has broken ground on two new Houston Independent School District (ISD) campuses. Construction of Carnegie Vanguard High School began in May, while construction got underway for Lockhart Turner Elementary School this month. The 98,000-square-foot Carnegie Vanguard High School will serve 600 gifted students in grades 9 through 12. Carnegie is the only high school in the Houston ISD Vanguard program exclusively dedicated to students gifted in academics. Located at 1051 Taft, the new high school sits on the site of the former Carnegie Elementary School that was built in 1963. RdlR Architects provided design services for the project. Meanwhile, Lockhart Turner Elementary School is an 84,500-square-foot replacement school serving 750 early childhood through grade 5 students. The project consolidates students from both Lockhart and Turner elementary schools. HarrisonKornberg Architects provided design services for this project, which is scheduled for completion in April 2012. Both projects are seeking LEED certification through the U.S. Green Building Council.
LUBBOCK — Texas Tech University has broken ground on a $45 million, 178,000-square-foot residence hall designed by BOKA Powell LLC. The new student housing project will be completed in fall 2012 and is in response to Texas Tech's growing number of students. It will house 516 students in private bedrooms and shared living areas. In addition, a two-story, 22,000-square-foot dining hall, three exterior courtyards and new parking lots are planned. BOKA Powell and Austin Commercial have been selected by Texas Tech, which is striving for 40,000 students by 2020, to lead this design-build project.
HOUSTON — Cadence McShane Construction Co. will renovate Lee High School, located at 6529 Beverly Hill Ln. in Houston, and Ed White Elementary School, located at 9001 Triola Ln. in Houston, on behalf of the Houston Independent School District (ISD). Both school assignments will include selective demolition, window replacement, HVAC upgrades, hazardous material abatement and ADA upgrades through classroom, administrative and restroom areas of each single-story facility. Cadence McShane will also complete extensive site improvements at both locations. Smith & Co. Architects is providing the architectural services for the renovation assignments. Both projects will be completed in August.
TEMPE, ARIZ. — Construction had commenced for a new design studio for students of Arizona State University's engineering program. The eSpace Studio will consist of two main rooms containing interactive design areas, projection screens, whiteboards and writable glass walls, modular elements and display cases. It abuts the first completed eSpace facility at the school, the High Performance Computing Lab. Completion is expected in the fall. Cannon Design is the project architect.