Education: Classroom

Utah State University is constructing a new facility for the College of Veterinary Medicine to advance animal health, biomedical sciences, and public health. The 106,000-sf Veterinary Medical Education Building will accommodate growing programs and drive groundbreaking research, providing comprehensive training for the professionals needed to support Utah’s agricultural sector. Representing an investment of approximately $77 million, the state-funded structure will offer an additional 4,055 sf of lab space between two teaching labs.

The University of Southampton broke ground in March of 2025 on a £180 million ($230 million) teaching and learning building on the Highfield campus in the United Kingdom. Designed by Sheppard Robson to foster creativity, collaboration, and academic excellence, the 166,800-sf facility will house lecture halls, seminar rooms, and faculty office space. The five-story structure will serve as the new home for the university’s Primary Care Research Centre and the Faculty of Medicine.

The 350,000-sf Duan Family Center for Computing & Data Sciences at Boston University (BU) brings 3,000 students, faculty, and staff together daily inside a LEED platinum-certified 19-story structure that sits at the heart of the university’s main campus. By replacing most of the building’s Portland cement with other supplementary cementitious materials, installing triple-glazed windows and fins to reduce the solar load, and heating and cooling the building with geothermal boreholes paired with active chilled beams, the project team created one of the largest sustainable and operationally fossil-fuel-free buildings in Boston.

Though universities may update master plans every five or 10 years, many find planning works best when it is continual and flexible to accommodate program and leadership changes. A number of projects at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) in Fort Worth demonstrate the need to assess existing spaces and develop plans for growth and flexibility, as well as the benefits of building long-term relationships with architects and other vendors.

California State University San Marcos is planning to construct the Integrated Science and Engineering (IS&E) building to drive innovation and growth in advanced technology and the life sciences. The 70,000-gsf structure will house the College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics’ growing programs in electrical engineering, computer science, systems engineering, and software engineering.

Rice University opened the Rice Nexus in February of 2025 in Houston's Midtown neighborhood. Spanning 10,000 sf across two floors, the university’s flagship innovation hub is based in the Ion building to drive entrepreneurship and commercialization in association with industry partners. Tramonte Design Studio's vision for the Rice Nexus created labs for advanced tech development and free office space for early-stage startups, as well as showcasing faculty and student inventions.

Arkansas State University broke ground on the $33.2 million College of Veterinary Medicine in March of 2025. Designed by Cooper Mixon Architects, Archimania, and Perkins&Will, the 56,000-sf facility will feature state-of-the-art laboratory spaces, including an anatomy lab, a clinical skills lab, and a surgical skills training area. A dedicated clinical practice area, available 24/7, will enable students to hone hands-on examination and procedural competencies.

Pennsylvania Western University is constructing a 63,500-sf science building to advance education and research in the natural sciences. Located on the PennWest California campus, the $39 million facility was designed by DRAW Collective to foster experiential learning and put science on display. Driving interdisciplinary collaboration, the three-story structure will house 17 labs and 19 science support areas tailored for disciplines including biology, physics, chemistry, microbiology, ecology, and anatomy and physiology.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is planning to create a vibrant destination for education, research, and innovation in Kips Bay that is supported by $1.6 billion in state and city funding. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is the master planner for the Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC), a first-of-its-kind learning and training center that will offer up to two million sf of academic, public health, and life science space.

Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is building the Technology Engineering Innovation Center, an approximately 73,000-sf facility that will anchor an evolving STEM corridor on the north part of campus. Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the split-level structure will act as a central hub for departments within the College of Technology, Architecture, and Applied Engineering.

Denison University broke ground in February of 2025 on the Center for Data Reasoning & Visualization in Granville, Ohio. Designed by The Collaborative, the $35 million project will rejuvenate the 21,250-sf Doane Hall and create a 17,700-sf addition. This dynamic new home for the departments of computer science and data analytics will position Denison to be the first liberal arts college with a state-of-the-art campus hub devoted to integrating data across the curriculum. 

Chico State University opened the $98 million building for the College of Behavioral & Social Sciences in February of 2025 in California. Designed by AC Martin, the 94,000-sf structure provides 22 classrooms, five teaching labs, conference and breakout rooms, faculty offices, and a 130-seat tiered lecture hall. The open-plan facility accommodates nine academic departments, strategically collocating resources to maximize space use.

Stanford University opened its new 167,000-gsf Computing and Data Science building in January of 2025 in Palo Alto, Calif. Designed by LMN Architects to drive interdisciplinary research and innovation, the facility houses the Stanford Data Science and Impact Labs initiatives, as well as undergraduate programs in computer science and symbolic systems.

Barnard College is constructing the Roy & Diana Vagelos Science Center in New York to foster excellence in STEM education, innovation, and scholarship. Representing an investment of approximately $240 million, the expansion and renovation will transform the existing Altschul Hall into a modern hub for innovative teaching and research. The 169,000-sf structure will house all of Barnard’s bench sciences, including the departments of biology, chemistry, environmental science, neuroscience and behavior, and physics and astronomy. 

Providence College opened the 125,000-sf Ben Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences in January of 2025 in Providence, R.I. Designed by SLAM, the five-story facility provides active learning environments and laboratories for teaching, research, and faculty innovation. On the third level, a 7,000-sf clinical simulation suite replicates an acute care hospital floor. Sophisticated augmented and virtual reality technologies, such as Anatomage Tables, offer unique opportunities for immersive education and discovery.