Learning Resources

Abstract: This tour will showcase the University of Hawaii’s flagship campus and the unique challenges the university faces with regard to long-term planning, campus redevelopment, and designing in a tropical environment. The tour will then focus on the university’s new Life Sciences Building, which consolidated various departments in aging facilities into new state-of-art teaching and research laboratories. This building was one of the first major design-build projects on campus. We will discuss the challenges that were encountered and how each was solved.

Abstract: Often people leading the implementation of new initiatives or response plans have enthusiasm and dedication, but lack specific skills, tools, and methods necessary for success. We will share how University of Illinois has introduced project management tools and processes to help stakeholders implement plans and use resources more effectively. You'll learn how providing a defined path from idea to implementation ensures initiatives are evaluated and prioritized, resources are deployed effectively, and projects are supported correctly.

Abstract: Planners are being asked to define programs earlier to facilitate the public-private partnership (P3) selection process for increasingly complex build types. This session will focus on how University of California Merced defined an academic and research science program for an unknown group of scientists to allow for a selection process, the resultant design dilemma faced by the architects, and how the team took on the challenge of modifying the generic laboratories.

Abstract: Wellesley College enabled the revitalization of their largest academic building, the science center, by transforming the way people thought about temporary classrooms—from "breaking bad" to breaking norms. We will demonstrate how advances in modular building delivery are being applied to sophisticated buildings (including BL2 and vivarium) such that users perceive them as an improvement to the current condition. Come learn how to be better a problem-solver and be able to detect flaws-in-thinking before they become flaws-in-doing.

Abstract: The design-build delivery approach, in which design and construction services are contracted through a single entity, has the potential to help higher education institutions control costs, streamline processes and communications, and more efficiently and effectively meet project objectives. This article examines the relationship between the University of North Georgia and design-build firm Pond, describing the process of design-build and highlighting two projects, the replacement of a dining hall floor and the renovation of a science classroom. The success of these projects demonstrates the benefits of integration and collaboration inherent in the design-build model.