The green roof installation began July 22 and was completed July 26 by LiveRoof LLC of Nunica, Mich. Construction on the building itself began in July 2014, and work is slated for completion in September, with classes set to begin in January 2017. The new Biosciences Building marks the largest capital project in the university’s more than 120-year history, and was developed in response to a sharp rise in students pursuing degrees in the biosciences.

The 170,000-square-foot Biosciences Building, which anticipates at least LEED Silver certification, will house a wide variety of science labs; a 112-person capacity active learning classroom; numerous student study, collaboration and meeting spaces; and staff offices, according to a statement by LiveRoof. The Biosciences Building will eventually house 40 research-active faculty members, and the research conducted within the facility will allow the university to grow its reputation as a leader in human and environmental health and research.

“The Biosciences Building interior features abundant daylight, natural wood paneling and other sustainable materials [that] connect this building to its mission and work,” said Steve Lawrence, associate vice president for facilities management at CMU, in a statement. “The LiveRoof green roof and accompanying LiveWall, located inside the building, provide students and staff access to plants, natural views and daylight.”

LiveRoof green roofs are a patented, subterranean modular system that features soil and plants to create a meadow-like aesthetic, according to the company’s website. The installation provides a fully-grown carpet of custom-mix, draught-tolerant sedum plants providing color and function year-round. The green roofs also provide significant environmental benefits, according to the company. They can reduce stormwater runoff by between 50 percent and 90 percent, and can lower interior sound levels by as much as 40 decibels. Further, one square foot of green roof is capable of filtering seven ounces of dust and smog out of the environment per year, according to the company website. Plant photosynthesis also reduces greenhouse gases, and soil and plants provide a protective barrier to buildings, along with a waterproof roof lining, to extend roof life by as much as 200-300 percent.

“Central Michigan University is delivering a preeminent design in the new Biosciences Building,” said LiveRoof LLC Indiana Representative John Aleck in a statement. “This building is designed to support innovative research in bright, breathable laboratories. Providing faculty and students with an open, flexible work-study space will undoubtedly propel these programs to new levels while achieving sustainability stewardship.”

The new Biosciences Building, designed by Stantec Inc., will cost approximately $95 million. The project was supported by a $30 million state allocation as well as by the university’s internal reserves, contributions and proceeds from the issuance of bonds, according to a statement by the university.

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The four-story, 169,000-square-foot CMU Biosciences Building is the largest capital project in the school’s 120-year history. It will provide students and faculty with opportunities for meaningful hands-on research, and will help the school attract top teaching talent.

The building will include standard features such as an auditorium, informal meeting areas and an active learning classroom in an open floor plan designed for adaptability, resource sharing and collaboration. However, as it will house research and instruction on everything from organismal biology to ecology, the facility will also offer more specialized spaces.

Included in the design are a vivarium, which replicates aquatic conditions for research purposes; a molecular biology core; a biosafety level 3 laboratory for infectious disease research; an isotope laboratory, an imaging center for scanning and transmission electron microscopes; an herbarium; and a staging and processing storage areas for ecological fieldwork. These top-level facilities will allow for research on delicate species and pressing environmental issues without disturbing or impacting natural habitats.

Environmental sustainability was also key to the building’s design. Built to achieve LEED Silver certification, the new CMU Biosciences Building will balance safety and energy efficiency. 91视频 like fritted glass will reduce solar heat gain, while a rainwater capture system will feed directly into a series of bio-chambers, supporting ecosystem research and education.

In a speech at the building’s Sept. 15 groundbreaking ceremony, CMU President George E. Ross remarked that the building would dramatically improve the quality and the quantity of structural learning and scientific research on the school’s campus. “It will foster an important contribution to Michigan’s economic goals and emphasize cell and molecular biology, biotechnology and other emerging disciplines, as well as enhancing the strong existing programs in biosciences at CMU,” Foster said.

“We can’t wait for our students to use the active learning spaces in our new teaching labs so they can practice science in their classes,” added Chair of the university’s department of biology, Tracy Galarowicz. “We look forward to seeing our students walk through the doors and see the living wall, the aquarium, the study spaces and know that this is a place…to study biology.”

The new facility is also a response to the university’s growing student body. Undergraduate majors at CMU have increased 210 percent in the last decade alone, while tenure-track faculty have increased more than 70 percent. Additionally, the university has seen external grant funding increase more than tenfold in the same time frame.

The Detroit office of SHW Group, a design, engineering and planning firm that is currently merging with Stantec, is the project’s lead architectural firm. Clark Construction Co. of Lansing will serve as the construction manager. Construction is slated for completion in September 2016, and classes will likely begin in the new facility in January 2017.

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The Heinz Endowments’ $10 million gift will be dedicated to the renovation and expansion of Hamburg Hall, which houses the H. John Heinz III College of Public Policy and Management. Though the college has already embarked on $32 million in renovations to the existing structure, the Heinz Endowments gift will hasten the design, planning and construction process for the planned rotunda, 150-seat auditorium, collaborative spaces and additional classrooms. The project comprises four phases, the third of which is scheduled for completion by the summer of 2017. No timeline for the final phase has been released.

"We are deeply grateful to the Endowments and the Heinz family for providing this transformational gift,” said CMU President Subra Suresh in an official statement. "In a world that is evermore connected and increasingly dependent on information technology and organizational solutions, which cross political, disciplinary and cultural boundaries, Heinz College faculty and graduates are making essential contributions."

Not far from the H. John Heinz III College building, will be the new Tepper Quadrangle along Forbes Avenue. The new academic hub, named for Appaloosa Management founder and CMU trustee David A. Tepper, was announced just a month before the Heinz Endowments gift.

The Tepper Quadrangle is the first expansion of the university’s north campus. According to a statement, the new structure will also enable the university to leverage its business, science and engineering departments to accelerate the transfer of new technologies into the marketplace, create new integrated degree programs and to expand both research and education opportunities. In addition to its educational functions, the facility will also include a welcome center, fitness center and café. In total the university plans to invest more than $200 million in the new facility.

The college is currently seeking architect proposals for the new structure, which is estimated at 295,000 square feet. The ambitious building currently has no estimated construction or completion date.

"I’m excited by President Suresh’s and the university’s vision to make CMU the foremost entrepreneurial academic institution in the nation," said Tepper in a release. "CMU has a long history of providing the world with innovative thinkers, and the establishment of a true hub for entrepreneurship will help create the next generation of global leaders.”

Over the past decade, Tepper has donated more than $125 million to Carnegie Mellon, his alma mater, and the campus is already home to the Tepper School of Business. According to a release issued by the college, this latest gift is the largest from a CMU graduate, and for a building project, in the university’s history.

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