Campus architecture and facilities news from around the Web:

• Bethany Lutheran College Prepares to Dedicate Honsey Hall (left—Bethany Lutheran College image; watch a video about the building here)

• Harvard Appoints Former Nashville Mayor as Adviser on Allston Expansion

• U. of Wisconsin at LaCrosse Considers $12-Million Parking Ramp

• U. of Wisconsin at Madison Chooses Architect for $52-Million Nursing-Science Center

George Mason University, Fairfax, Va.

Building Type: Arts

Construction Type: New

Cost: $46-million

Square Footage: 85,000

Architect: Holzman Moss Bottino Architecture; Hughes Group Architects

Contractor: Whiting-Turner Contracting Company

Opened: 2010

Nearly nine stories tall and sheathed in a mix of copper, glass, and masonry, this new performing-arts center on the university's Prince William County campus, in Manassas, Va., will provide two venues for local and touring performers, as well as for university-related activities. Modeled after the intimate European opera houses of the 19th century, Merchant Hall is a 1,121-seat proscenium theater that has an exposed concrete structure, a copper ceiling, and natural wood throughout, and is encircled by 27 family boxes that rise three levels. The Gregory Family Theater is a flexible, 4,400-square-foot space that can be configured...

Campus architecture and facilities news from around the Web:

• U. of Oklahoma Breaks Ground for $12-Million Social-Work Building (left; U. of Oklahoma image)

• Students Urge U. of Maryland at College Park to Intervene in Strike by Construction Workers

• California State U. at Northridge Dedicates Chaparall Hall (see photographs here)

• Northwestern College Begins Construction of $3.5-Million All-Suites Dorm

State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, N.Y.

Building Type: Academic

Construction Type: New

Cost: $10-million

Square Footage: 30,000

Architect: Mitchell/Giurgola Architects

Contractor: E.W. Howell Company

Opened: 2009

This new library on the university's Southhampton campus was intended to integrate information management, technology, and a student-centered setting. The building includes group-study spaces, flexible meeting spaces, and a cyber-café that promotes student and faculty interaction. The building is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification and embodies a practical attitude towards a sustainable environment.

(Photo: Jeff Goldberg/Esto)

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St. John's University (N.Y.), Queens, N.Y.

Building Type: Mixed Use

Construction Type: New

Cost: $63-million

Square Footage: 127,000

Architect: Gensler

Contractor: F.J. Sciame Construction Company

Opened: 2009

This combined student center and academic building creates the edge of a new quad that extends the academic core of the university's Queens campus. Inspired by Ellis Island, the building was conceived as a symbolic point of entry through which St. John’s diverse student population would pass. As the new hub of student life, the building houses 14 classrooms, a multipurpose room, lounges, student-organization offices, a board room, and banquet facilities. The fieldstone, brick, and glass facade offers references to other buildings on the campus without mimicking them. Exterior plazas and steps promote impromptu interaction, while the 144-foot tower, inspired by the Statue ...

Campus architecture and facilities news from around the Web:

• Closed for 30 Years, Baptist Temple Reopens as University's Event Hall (left; Temple U. image)

• U. of Minnesota-Twin Cities Reaches Agreement on Light Rail Line Across Its Campus

• Penn State's Law School Dedicates Renovated Building in Carlisle

• Oklahoma State Renovates and Expands School of Architecture Building

Indiana University at Bloomington, Bloomington, Ind.

Building Type: Other

Construction Type: New

Cost: $32.7-million

Square Footage: 82,700

Architect: SmithGroup; Indiana University Architect’s Office

Contractor: Messer Construction Company

Opened: 2009

This building was designed to ensure the safety and security of the university’s most prized networking, computer processing, and data-storage equipment. The Data Center features a low-profile, single-story, bunkered design and protects its contents from possible electrical damage, power outages, and even the most powerful tornadoes. The facility serves all of the university's campuses via I-Light, Indiana’s high-speed fiber-optic network, eliminating the need for similar facilities on other campuses.

(Photo: Indiana U.)

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Saint Mary's College (Ind.), Notre Dame, Ind.

Building Type: Academic

Construction Type: Renovation

Cost: $5.5-million

Square Footage: 70,000

Architect: Arkos Design Inc.

Contractor: Ziolkowski Construction

Opened: 2009

This renovation was the building's first significant update since its construction in 1966. Faculty members in the mathematics and education departments are now grouped in office suites by floor, allowing for better communication within each department and also offering access to new common spaces on every floor and to updated classrooms. The interior is infused with warm colors and incorporates the poetry and philosophies of Sister Madeleva, the building’s namesake.

(Photo: Arkos Design Inc.)

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Campus architecture and facilities news from around the Web:

• Purdue Dedicates $25-Million Learning-Research Center (left; Purdue U. image)

• Army Finds More World War I Munitions at Former American U. Test Site

• New York U. Expansion Plans Face Opposition From Neighbors

• U. of Southern Mississippi Plans 3-Building Complex to House 950

Berry College, Mount Berry, Ga.

Building Type: Athletics

Construction Type: New

Cost: $32.5-million

Square Footage: 131,000

Architect: Hastings + Chivetta Architects Inc.

Contractor: R.J. Griffin & Company

Opened: 2008

Designed to be a hub for student life on the Berry campus, this building provides a home for intramural and intercollegiate athletics, as well as office and classroom space for the kinesiology department. Features include a performance gymnasium, a natatorium, a fitness center, a multipurpose court, an indoor track, and a hall of Berry sports history.

(Photos: Alan Storey)

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.