Putting the November/December edition of BreakingGround into production this week and I was struck by how much of the commercial real estate sector was being driven by the universities and hospitals. I’ve been hearing so much about “eds and meds” that I was sick of hearing the phrase; but…it’s one of those things that you hear too much of because it’s a real thing.

Here are a couple examples of projects that have barely received any coverage but are happening because of the economic engines of CMU and Pitt. The URA recently approved the sals of land in the Pittsburgh Technology Center on Second Avenue to Elmhurst Group, which plans to build 160,000 square feet of “tech flex” space to attract advanced manufacturing, robotics or other technology spin-offs requiring research and maker space. Walnut Capital has received a lot of ink for its Bakery Square, JAA and PAA projects but the intriguing project is the Fifth and Halket property, which is reported to be an office building of several hundred thousand square feet. That property is in the opposite direction that much of the Oakland-driven development is looking but it will plant a flag on the more neglected Downtown side of Oakland, right by the Parkway East interchanges, right on the BRT route. If it becomes a major university or university-related corporate facility, it will be catalytic for the Uptown and South Oakland neighborhoods.

The universities are making construction news on their own. Duquesne announced the modernization of the Palumbo Center yesterday. The $45 million renovation will result in the rebranded UPMC/Cooper Field House. DRS Architects is designing the project, which should bid by early 2019 if the work is to start in the spring. CMU is proposing a new residence hall at Fifth and Clyde. LTL Architects was hired to design the $32 million project. CMU took CM proposals from Jendoco, Mosites and Rycon.

Rycon will do the construction of the AHN Brentwood micro hospital that had its groundbreaking recently. Work has not started yet. UPMC selected PJ Dick for its $15 million ED expansion at the UPMC East campus in Monroeville.

In other construction news, Franjo Construction was reported as the awarded general contractor for the $4.7 million Youghiogheny Administration Building for North Huntingdon Municipal Authority. Cast & Baker was the low bidder on the $4.5 million site prep package for the World Trade Center at the airport. That’s a project that could open up hundreds of millions in new commercial construction over the next decade, a project worth following.