University of South Alabama Breaks Ground on College of Medicine

The University of South Alabama broke ground in December of 2023 on a dynamic new home for the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine in Mobile. Designed by Perkins&Will and Eskew Dumez Ripple, the $200 million facility will address a nationwide shortage of physicians by enabling the first-year class size to increase from 80 to 100, with the capability to accommodate 125 students in the future. The L-shaped structure will include a four-story education wing offering learning studios, seminar rooms, a clinical skills lab, a gross anatomy suite, and a demonstration kitchen. A five-story research wing will house flexible open labs that can easily adapt to changing programmatic requirements, supported by a 26,255-sf vivarium with dedicated procedure areas. Incorporating several double-height spaces with mezzanines, the 250,000-sf building will feature an expansive forum on the ground floor accompanied by elegant conference rooms that will be available to the entire campus community. A collaboration hub on the third level will promote interaction and the exchange of knowledge between all occupants.

The project team includes Design Workshop, general contractor BL Harbert, structural engineer Barter & Associates, MEP engineer Newcomb & Boyd, and hydrology engineer Krebs Engineering. Completion is expected in 2026.