Princeton University Expands and Renovates Computer Science Facility

Princeton University broke ground in May of 2026 on a $305 million expansion and renovation project that will create a unified home for the Department of Computer Science. Designed by Frederick Fisher and Partners alongside Shepley Bulfinch, Eric and Wendy Schmidt Hall will catalyze innovative computational thought that unlocks new frontiers of learning and drives the discovery of vital solutions with real-world impact. 

The historic Guyot Hall will be transformed and repurposed into a modern, 95,000-sf environment that provides seven floors of new offices and conference rooms, while retaining and restoring its original central commons. Spanning 131,000 sf, a six-story addition integrating mass timber and structural steel components will house classrooms, offices, and abundant collaboration spaces that foster serendipitous exchanges and academic partnerships. The interdisciplinary facility will also accommodate teaching labs, a 120-seat lecture auditorium, and laboratories for optics, fabrication, wireless networking, human-computer interaction, and robotics. A multipurpose outdoor area will connect to a two-level green courtyard.

Aspiring to LEED Gold certification, the development will prioritize flexibility and reconfigurability in response to evolving needs. The 231,000-gsf hub will leverage numerous sustainability strategies including a high-performance envelope, energy-efficient HVAC systems and lighting, geo-exchange heating and cooling, and daylight harvesting. Advancing Princeton’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2046, the use of mass timber as well as cement replacement in the foundation will contribute to a 30 percent overall reduction in embodied carbon for the building. 

Skanska is the general contractor and Buro Happold is the MEP engineer. Other firms lending their expertise include BABICHacoustics and BrightTree Studios. Completion is anticipated in the first quarter of 2030.