COVER STORY, MARCH 2007

MASTERS OF SCIENCE
Texas universities are building new medical and science facilities that are at the forefront of their industry.
Stephen O’Kane

The University of Texas, Tarleton State University and Texas A&M University are leading the charge with regards to new medical and science facilities in Texas. The Austin campus of the University of Texas will see three new facilities developed on or near its campus; Tarleton State University will receive a new nursing facility; and three branches of Texas A&M University — College Station, Galveston and Corpus Christi — also will see new facilities. From computer science to nursing to biomedical engineering projects, the range of new developments is as wide as the Texas sky.

University of Texas Austin — Dell Buildings

The Dell Pediatric Research Institute at The University of Texas at Austin will be a free-standing building spanning 150,000 square feet.

The University of Texas System, established by the Texas Constitution in 1876, provides educational opportunities to enhance the human resources of Texas and the rest of the country. The Austin, Texas-based System consists of nine universities, including the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Texas at San Antonio, as well as six health institutions such as the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, which was founded in 1999 by the Dell family, awarded The University of Texas System  a generous $50 million grant to help fund three health and science programs in Austin. These projects include a pediatric health research institute, a computer science building and a center for the advancement of healthy living.

As part of the gift, The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation awarded a $38 million matching grant over three years to establish The Dell Pediatric Research Institute at The University of Texas at Austin. The facility will be a freestanding building spanning 150,000 square feet, and will be part of the Robert Mueller Municipal Airport Reuse and Redevelopment Plan in east Austin. It will be positioned in close proximity to the new Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, which is scheduled to open this year. The project is Phase I of The University of Texas Health Research Campus, a 15-acre, 780,000-square-foot project that will develop several research buildings. As part of The University of Texas System, researchers at the institute also will have access to the faculty of other major universities and research institutes throughout the state. Phase I, which is scheduled to open in late 2008, is being developed to help Austin advance in the children’s health and biomedical research fields.

A $10 million portion of the grant will help finance the construction of a new computer science facility on the UT Austin main campus, which will be named the Dell Computer Science Hall. Planning for the project is underway and, in addition to new development, also will feature renovation to adjacent buildings. The project is valued at $67 million and will be developed to enable advances in the field of computer science as well as improve related research activity within the biological and physical sciences.

The remainder of Michael and Susan Dell Foundation grant, $2 million, is being granted to the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston’s School of Public Health to establish the Michael and Susan Dell Center for the Advancement of Healthy Living. The program — to be housed at UT Austin — will be a collaborative effort with faculty from the health science center and UT Austin and is being developed to conduct research on child obesity and related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes. Building on the work from the school’s Human Nutrition Center, the Michael and Susan Dell Center for the Advancement of Healthy Living will have access to programs such as Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH), which is a program that specializes in promoting healthy eating and physical activity for students in Kindergarten through Fifth grade; and Incorporating More Physical Activity and Calcium  in Teens (IMPACT), a program that helps girls to improve bone health and weight-bearing activity.

These three programs are just the beginning for what is currently taking place throughout Texas. The growth in population and the expansion in the field of health and research science are shown through the amount and quality of projects being developed within the Texas higher education community.

Tarleton State University Nursing Facility

Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, is currently planning a new nursing facility for its campus. The project is still in the beginning stages of development but the University is responding to the need for expansion.

“Nursing faculty are housed in two separate buildings and use classrooms all over campus,” says Dr. Elaine Evans, associate professor and head of the nursing department at Tarleton State University. “Nursing skills and computer labs are too small for current nursing student enrollment. Tarleton has planning authority for a masters program in nursing but no nursing research facilities.”

Approximately $24.3 million has been designated for the new nursing project, which will feature some unique amenities. According to Evans, plans include a multimedia teaching auditorium; a state-of-the-art simulation learning center with full-bodied mannequins and other realistic equipment; a Nursing Research Center with project rooms; and a galleria lobby with a wall-sized plasma mural featuring scenes from nursing reality and virtual reality as well as scenes from campus life and the surrounding rural areas. The new nursing facility, which will focus on rural nursing and health care, will span between 75,000 and 100,000 square feet. It is scheduled to break ground late 2008 with completion expected for spring 2009.

“There is ample evidence for Texas nursing programs to increase the production of nursing graduates by 50 percent between 2006 and 2010 (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2006; Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies, 2006) and to maintain this increase enrollment to meet the pressing health care needs of Texas citizens,” says Evans. “A new nursing building will provide the quality and quantity of space to participate in this Texas workforce mandate and carry out its mission of teaching, service and scholarship.”

Emerging Technology And Economic Development Construction Program

The Texas A&M University Engineering program is growing at an compelling rate. With the University adding more than 400 new faculty members, and the Engineering program adding more than 100, it is time for expansion. The Emerging Technology and Economic Development Construction Program is being designed to meet that kind of staggering growth.

“Development of cutting-edge, emerging technologies depends upon a multi-disciplinary research approach,” says Dr. G. Kemble Bennett, vice chancellor and dean of Texas A&M Engineering. “This project will support research collaboration between colleges to pursue key emerging technologies; those with great economic potential, which would generate funding sources for future research and enhance opportunities to increase grant funding.”

The project site on the University’s College Station campus is located in the southern portion of the “engineering quadrant,” which consists of 15 buildings used for engineering teaching and research. The position of the development is precise, allowing convenient access to current activities in the field, as well as close proximity to other programs within the university that have interest in interdisciplinary research.

The Emerging Technology and Economic Development Construction Program is still in its early stages, and Texas A&M System Facilities Planning and Construction currently has submitted a request for proposal to find an architect/engineering company to more thoroughly design the facility.

“It is too early in the project to have developed specific building features, however, it will be designed to support collaborative research programs and accommodate equipment and activities supportive of cutting-edge engineering technology and applications,” says Bennett.

In addition to tuition revenue bonds, the Permanent University Fund (PUF), a public endowment that provides financial support to The Texas A&M University System, has made $100 million available to finance the project. This kind of large-scale facility will cater to the growth of the field, as well as the University, and help expand the advances being made.

“Because the building is intended to support engineering research and emerging technologies and their delivery into the marketplace, including the field of biomedical engineering, the project has great potential to positively impact the health of those in this nation and worldwide,” Bennett says. “Texas A&M Engineering researchers contribute daily to advances across a wide spectrum of health-related issues.”

Texas A&m University At Galveston Science Building

Moving south to Galveston, Texas A&M University continues to stay busy satisfying the growth and expansion the state is experiencing. This campus is currently developing a new science facility to focus on preparing the University for the future and, as with the project currently being designed in College Station, will be set up to conduct cross-disciplinary research.

“This project allows for the continuation and expansion of the myriad of research endeavors conducted at Texas A&M University at Galveston, provides more classroom space and further consolidates the campus,” says Dr. W. Brad McGonagle, assistant vice president for administration for Texas A&M University at Galveston. “The design concept will focus on adaptation and sustainability. Each laboratory space will be designed for the faculty of tomorrow by allowing for changes in technological needs, future growth and a variety of research activities. Additionally the design will focus on maximizing the space to allow for interdisciplinary collaboration.”

The facility will be centered around research trends, as well as the future growth the University knows is to come. It is being designed for adaptability so that it will be able to cater to whatever may arise in the field. Dr. McGonagle believes that this project will be successful because of all the extensive upfront programming and development that is taking place.

Upon completion, the Texas A&M University science building is expected to span approximately 100,000 square feet to 110,000 square feet. The groundbreaking is set to begin in May 2008 and the project currently has an expected date of completion in fall 2010. A project architect, developer and builder have yet to be chosen as the project is still in its early stages.

Dr. McGonagle believes that the Galveston facility will help advances that affect the health of the entire nation. “Texas A&M University is a leader in research,” he says. “Much of this research is directly and indirectly related to our national health. For example, there are projects focusing on sustainable marine fisheries and the Louisiana Dead Zone. Both projects relate to the national food supply. Other research focuses on coastal environments and the nearly half of the world’s population that live in coastal regions.”

Texas A&m University — Corpus Christi — Wellness Center

Phase I of the Texas A&M University — Corpus Christi Wellness Center will consist of a two-story facility that spans approximately 50,000 square feet.

The Corpus Christi campus of Texas A&M University is another branch that is experiencing significant growth. The school is set to break ground this month on a brand new Wellness Center to replace the old facilities and make room for the expansion.

The existing facilities on the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi campus were built in the late 1960s for an enrollment of 800 students. The popularity of on-campus recreation and the rising student population have dictated the need for larger and modern recreational facilities.

The Texas A&M University — Corpus Christi Wellness Center is scheduled for completion in fall 2008.

Phase I of the Wellness Center will develop a two-story facility that spans approximately 50,000 square feet. In addition to the partial third-floor for the emergency operations center, the Wellness Center will also feature a gymnasium, weight and cardio areas, locker rooms and group exercise rooms. Plans for Phase II of the project feature a Kinesiology and Athletics wing, as well as a nursing facility. The facility is scheduled for completion in fall 2008.

The University believes that one reason the project will be successful is because of the experienced companies behind it. Dallas-based F&S Partners Inc. is serving as the project architect for the $21.5 million dollar development, and Corpus Christi-based Fulton Coastcon is the construction manager.


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