The Opus Group (Opus) announced today the start of construction on a new 61,750-square-foot Health and Natural Sciences building at Northwestern College in Orange City. The building will be the new home of the school’s biology, chemistry and nursing departments.
“We’re thrilled about the opportunity to work with Northwestern College to bring this much-needed facility to their campus and students,” said Jeff Smith, vice president, Opus Design Build, L.L.C. “Having worked with several of the great educational institutions across the state, we were honored to collaborate with the college and architecture groups to create a plan for the building that will add tremendous value to the school and students.”
The project will bring state-of-the-art lab spaces to students in the health and natural sciences majors, including simulation suites for nursing students to learn how to address real world scenarios in replicated hospital and clinical settings. Additional classrooms will include moveable tables and exam rooms to allow for hands-on training and flexible learning and testing environments. The building will also have energy efficient mechanical and electrical systems, including a specialized cooling system that makes ice over night when utility rates are lower and uses the ice to cool the facility throughout the day.
“It has been a pleasure working with Opus Design Build on this project,” said Greg Christy, president, Northwestern College. “We have seen already the tremendous value their experts bring to the table, and we are looking forward to their continued work as this magnificent building takes shape. Our students and faculty can’t wait to get into a high-quality facility that matches the strength of our science programs.”
Opus has completed many other institutional projects for clients across the country – its growing portfolio in Iowa includes the recently completed Geoffroy Hall on the Iowa State University campus and several previous projects at Luther College, including the Sampson-Hoffland Science Center.
The building is scheduled for completion in summer 2018. Opus Design Build, L.L.C. is the construction manager for the project, HGA is the design architect and Cannon Moss Brygger Architects is the architect of record.
About The Opus Group
The Opus Group® is a family of commercial real estate development, construction and design companies headquartered in Minneapolis with offices and projects across the country. Opus operates as an integrated, multidisciplinary team with expertise in development, capital markets and finance; project management and construction; architecture, engineering and interior design. The Opus Group includes Opus Holding, L.L.C. and its operating subsidiaries: Opus Development Company, L.L.C., Opus Design Build, L.L.C. and Opus AE Group, L.L.C. Specializing in industrial, office, residential, retail, healthcare and institutional projects, The Opus Group has broad capabilities, deep experience and a proven design-build model that delivers solutions for customers on time and on budget. For more information, visit www.opus-group.com and follow @TheOpusGroup on Twitter.