Portland State University announced Tuesday that it had formed a strategic partnership with Portland General Electric to address issues like urban transportation, renewable energy, and sustainable design.

The partnership, which has been formalized through the signing of a memorandum of understanding, will be governed by three executives from each organization. The exact plans for the strategic partnership are unclear, aside from the focus on urban mobility and the integration of energy and sustainable design.

“Partnerships like this are the way forward for universities like PSU,” said Wim Wiewel, president of the university. “Rather than just looking for philanthropy, we are looking to work with business and other partners to work jointly on research, education, and demonstration projects that serve our mutual interest—as well as those of Portland and Oregon. This project is a perfect ...

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Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa.

Building Type: Arts

Construction Type: New

Cost: $16-million

Square Footage: 40,000

Architect: Polshek Partnership Architects

Contractor: Massaro Corporation

Opened: 2009

Designed to enhance collaboration across disciplines, this facility includes rehearsal and instructional spaces, video-production facilities, a 250-seat theater, and a variety of spaces intended to promote informal interaction and creative collaboration. The absence of barriers between "front of house" and "back of house" spaces is meant to function as an educational tool to demystify the process of theater production. A central outdoor gathering space invites additional interaction.

(Photo: Jeff Goldberg / ESTO)

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College of Saint Rose, Albany, N.Y.

Building Type: Academic

Construction Type: Renovation

Cost: $5-million

Square Footage: 20,400

Architect: Sacco + McKinney Architects

Contractor: MLB Construction Services

Opened: 2010

This facility for the study of the music industry and the broadcast and print media includes a high-definition television studio and control room, an Internet radio station and production lab, two state-of-the-art recording studios, a 1,200-square-foot performance venue, and computer labs for newspaper, graphics, and writing classes.

(Photos: top—Sacco + McKinney Architects, bottom—Gregory Cherin)

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Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pa.

Building Type: Residential

Construction Type: New

Cost: $42-million

Square Footage: 115,000

Architect: Erdy McHenry Architecture

Contractor: Intech Construction Inc.

Opened: 2009

This 17-story residence hall houses 482 students in a hybrid suite configuration with a series of shared living areas and spectacular views of downtown Philadelphia. Unlike most multistory buildings, in which each floor is arranged like the one below, in this tower each 5,000-square-foot floor shifts by 10 inches relative to the floor below, so that the floors rotate by 13 feet from the base to the top. A 3,000-square-foot vegetated roof is among the building's sustainable features.

(Photo: Peter J. Kubilus)

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George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.

Building Type: Academic

Construction Type: New

Cost: $22.3-million

Square Footage: 88,900

Architect: Ayers/Saint/Gross

Contractor: Donley's Inc.

Opened: 2009

This new three-story building houses administrative and faculty offices, a gallery, general and art-education classrooms, and academic and studio spaces for painting and drawing, digital arts, graphic design, sculpture, photography, and printmaking. The design was intended to provide flexibility to accommodate changes in teaching methods and curriculum. The building, adjacent to a new quadrangle, also includes a student lounge and a café.

(Photos: David Burk)

Does your institution have a new building or a recently completed renovation? Make sure it gets included in our campus-architecture database and our forthcoming Architecture issue.

West Coast University, Los Angeles, Calif.

Building Type: Academic

Construction Type: New

Cost: $3-million

Square Footage: 98,000

Architect: Shlemmer Algaze + Associates

Contractor: Howard Building Corporation

Opened: 2009

In planning this new campus for health-care and nursing programs, university officials wanted a more functional and student-oriented environment than many adult-education facilities offer. Students enter through a bright area used for reception and to check in new students for testing. Beyond is a 3,700-square-foot quad with a large water feature with casual seating.

(Photos: West Coast U.)

Does your institution have a new building or a recently completed renovation? Make sure it gets included in our campus-architecture database and our forthcoming Architecture issue.

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The Danforth Chapel is the smaller of two chapels that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for Florida Southern College. (Chronicle photographs by Lawrence Biemiller)

Some readers may not be familiar with Frank Lloyd Wright's work at Florida Southern College. The Chronicle ran an article about the college's restoration efforts in 2007; here are some photos taken at the same time. —Lawrence Biemiller

Wright's master plan for the college showed buildings connected by covered walkways referred to as "esplanades."

Wright cantilevered the esplanade roofs off of surprisingly-shaped supports on one side.

The Polk County Science Building incorporates the esplanade design.

Most of Wright's campus buildings, including the science building, are constructed with concrete blocks molded on the campus to Wright's specifications. This is the interior of a classroom in the science building.

The...