• U. of Minnesota at Duluth Opens a Sustainable Classroom in the Woods (U. of Minnesota at Duluth photo)

• Consultants Recommend That Cornell U. Keep Suicide Barriers on Bridges

• U. of Mississippi Will Expand Thad Cochran Research Center With $31.7-Million in Federal Aid

• New York U. Plan for a New Tower Draws Critics

• Despite Pleas, Wesleyan U. Begins Demolition of Futuristic 1962 McConaughy Hall (Wesleyan U. photo)

• Oklahoma City U. Hurries to Add Space for Crowded Nursing School

• Mohawk Valley Community College Breaks Ground for $15-Million Athletic Complex

• Auburn U. Trustees Expedite $16.5-Million Indoor Practice Facility for Football Program

• Washington State U. Will Break Ground for Animal-Health Center This Week (ZGF Architects rendering)

• Harvard U. Merges Allston Office With University Planning Staff

• U. of Alaska at Anchorage Breaks Ground for Addition to Kachemak Bay Campus

• Renovation Is Planned for Old U. of California at Los Angeles Medical Center

• Landmark Water Towers at U. of Connecticut Are Demolished (U. of Connecticut photo by Peter Morenus)

• Construction Continues on $66-Million Geothermal System at Ball State U.

• U. of Alabama at Tuscaloosa Asks Trustees for 984-Bed Residence Hall

• California State U. at Bakersville Breaks Ground for 1-Megawatt Solar Project

• Commission Hears Plans for 2,000-Seat Stadium at California Lutheran U.

• William Mitchell, Former MIT Dean of Architecture, Dies at 65

The Republican candidate for governor of Massachusetts said this week that a state board's decision to use only union labor in renovating the campus of the University of Massachusetts at Boston could add as much as $100-million to the project's $750-million cost, according to The Boston Globe.

Charles D. Baker—who hopes to unseat Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat—made the charge in a statement criticizing what are known as Project Labor Agreements, under which companies bidding on state projects pledge to use union workers, and the workers promise not to strike. Supporters of the agreements say they guarantee delivery of high-quality work without labor disruptions that could cause chaos in big, tightly scheduled projects.

Joanne Goldstein, the state's labor secretary, said the agreements "do not cost any more money than an open-bid arrangement, and in fact are likely to present some cost...

• Athens State U. Renovates and Expands 1955 Science Building (Athens State U. photo)

• New York U. Will Reveal Design for 38-Story Addition to I.M. Pei Complex in Greenwich Village

• College of William & Mary Breaks Ground on Residential/Retail Project

• U. of Delaware Alumni See Stadium-Expansion Drawings, But They're Only 'Conceptual'

Macalester College, St. Paul, Minn.

Building Type: Other

Construction Type: New

Cost: $5.8-million

Square Footage: 17,000

Architect: Bruner/Cott & Associates Inc.

Contractor: McGough Construction

Opened: 2009

This building, which has received LEED platinum certification, is principally an administrative and research facility. Faculty and staff offices, student work rooms, and conference rooms are all organized around a central gathering space called the Great Court. A ground-level link connects the building with Kagin Hall, located just to the north, and the building is designed to accommodate a future addition to the east of the present structure.

(Photos: Richard Mandelkorn)

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University of Memphis, Memphis, Tenn.

Building Type: Campus Center

Construction Type: New

Cost: $50-million

Square Footage: 169,000

Architect: Haizlip Studio; Fisher & Arnold Inc.

Contractor: Inman Construction

Opened: 2010

This building utilizes natural light and a shared-resource configuration to create an open, inviting atmosphere intended to encourage collaboration and community. The facility, which has a three-story atrium, houses a food court, a restaurant, offices for student organizations, a 24-hour computer lab, a ballroom, a theater, meeting and conference rooms, and several lounge areas.

(Photo: U. of Memphis)

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

• Nova Southeastern U. Hires Builder for $34-Million Coral-Reef Research Facility (Nova Southeastern U. rendering)

• New York U. Wants to Talk With Officials About Ground Zero Real Estate

• After 30 Years, Fresno City College's Old Administration Building Welcomes Administrators Back

• Nazareth College Plans $32-Million Center for Math and Science

• Staff Member at U. of California at San Diego Creates a Guide to Its Modernist Buildings (Theodore Geisel library photograph by Lawrence Biemiller)

• Maya Lin Designs Plaza for Washington U. Health Institute

• At Barnard College, a 'Narrative of Complexity' Within a Simple Box of a Building

• Smith College's Ford Hall Earns LEED Gold Certification