Austin Peay State University Opens Health Professions Building

Austin Peay State University opened the $70 million Health Professions Building in August of 2025 in Clarksville, Tenn. Ayers Saint Gross and HASTINGS designed the the 114,600-sf facility to strategically colocate the School of Nursing and the departments of Allied Health Sciences, Health and Human Performance, Social Work, and Psychological Science and Counseling. Featuring the latest equipment and instrumentation, the three-story structure accommodates advanced simulation and research labs, active learning classrooms, and specialized environments for collaboration. 

Enhancing graduates' clinical readiness, the sophisticated development enables a team-based pedagogy that reflects the realistic interplay of disciplines in healthcare settings. A student-led clinic offers treatment to adult and pediatric patients in the local community, providing vital opportunities for hands-on training. A series of terraced green roofs are accompanied by natural outdoor spaces to promote wellness.

Messer Construction served as general contractor for the project. I.C. Thomasson Associates (a Salas O'Brien company) was the mechanical engineer, with EMC Structural Engineers as structural engineer and Barge Cauthen & Associates as civil engineer. Ground was broken in August of 2023.