Anybody who’s been on a college campus lately knows that unlike commercial markets, on-campus construction is the new normal. New facilities seem to be springing up right and left, and they aren’t just dorms and parking. Leading the way are state-of-the-art research labs that are used to attract and retain top level professors and researchers, who in turn help colleges and universities compete for students.
“It’s not just a facilities game. There’s a real battle for leaders and students going on, and leading-edge, iconic environments are part of the recruiting pitch,” says Jeff Perelman, Sundt’s Chief Growth Strategist and Business Development Officer.
What Perelman calls “iconic lab facilities” are equal parts engineering and design, which is why more colleges and universities are turning to contractors, like Sundt, that have the experience to offer both. The Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 4 at Arizona State University is a great example.
“A great lab is a complex ecosystem in itself – catering to multiple researchers who each have their own unique needs. These needs create complexity – complexity to design multiple functionalities within a single target building performance envelope,” Perelman continued. “More and more often, Sundt is selected for laboratory construction projects because we can bring the innovations that deliver the engineering performance required from our clients, but with the leading-edge innovations that reduce the operating and energy requirements of a lab to be on par with operating a classroom or office building.”