Education: Nursing

The University of British Columbia opened the CAD 207.9 million Gateway Health building in Vancouver in February of 2026. Designed by Perkins&Will and Schmidt Hammer Lassen, the 270,550-sf facility showcases a six-story atrium connecting two five-story wings. This interdisciplinary nexus provides advanced teaching labs, flexible classrooms, and four large lecture halls, with interconnecting stairs reaching from the basement to the highest level to encourage physical activity.

Wake Technical Community College is constructing the Perry Family Simulation Hospital in Raleigh, N.C. The three-story, 106,000-sf building will be one of the largest and most comprehensive simulation hospitals in the United States when it opens in fall of 2027. BSA designed the multidisciplinary facility to enable students to participate in hands-on learning in environments that mirror real-world clinical settings.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UWEC) is constructing the Science and Health Sciences Building to expand undergraduate research capacity and create an anchor for a new innovation cluster. Designed by HOK and Potter Lawson, the $340.3 million structure will provide dynamic facilities for STEM courses and programs in nursing, psychology, pre-professional health sciences, public health, and environmental studies.

Vincennes University celebrated the opening of the $33.9 million Center for Health Sciences and Learning Innovation in January of 2026 in Vincennes, Ind. As the new home for the College of Health Sciences and Human Performance, the 72,000-sf structure provides ultramodern classrooms and teaching labs for programs in nursing and allied health professions. Shared instructional venues for active learning are complemented by collaborative lounges, breakout spaces, and study areas.

The University of Connecticut is constructing a new home for the Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing in Storrs. Designed by Ayers Saint Gross and Amenta Emma Architects, the 90,000-gsf building will offer a unified environment to enhance healthcare education and catalyze interdisciplinary research. The $100 million project will support increased enrollment and enable the delivery of innovative pedagogies to drive student success.

The University of North Texas at Dallas celebrated the opening of a $100 million STEM facility in December of 2025 that will expand pathways into healthcare and science for current and future students. Addressing statewide practitioner shortages, the 120,220-sf building is a learning destination for fields such as nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, and optometry, as well as housing programs in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and neuroscience. 

Three projects designed by Stantec were shortlisted for the World Architecture Festival, which convened in Miami in November of 2025. 

Construction is nearing completion on Samuel Merritt University’s health sciences education campus in Oakland, Calif. In addition to revitalizing the local economy, the 10-story tower will enable the university to double enrollment over the next decade to address the Bay Area’s critical shortage of healthcare workers by expanding the provider pipeline. The $240 million facility will feature 19 classrooms, a motion analysis center, and specialized teaching and research laboratories including a cadaver anatomy lab. 

Temple University officially opened a $125 million facility for the Christopher M. Barnett College of Public Health in October of 2025 in Philadelphia. Designed by SLAM and PZS Architects, the adaptive reuse project transforms the former Paley Library into a five-story nexus for innovation and academic excellence. The 306,000-sf building offers active learning classrooms, research suites, and offices, as well as a student loft and the Aramark Community Teaching Kitchen.

The College of Western Idaho opened two new facilities in August of 2025 in Nampa. Fostering collaboration, the 60,000-sf health and science building consolidates growing programs for future registered and practical nurses, surgical technologists, dental assistants, and medical assistants. The three-story structure accommodates specialized skills labs, simulation suites, and three advanced laboratories for work in biology, microbiology, and anatomy and physiology. Group study venues are complemented by focus and reflection rooms, a student commons, and a café.

The University of Tennessee dedicated the UT Medical Nursing Building in August of 2025 in Knoxville. Created in partnership with UT Medical Center, the $108.2 million facility was designed by Ayers Saint Gross and McCarty Holsaple McCarty as a catalyst for the optimization of health through nurse-led care.

The University of Kentucky is constructing the $430 million Michael D. Rankin MD Health Education Building in Lexington to enhance community wellbeing by addressing provider shortages throughout the state. Expanding the university’s training capacity by up to 1,200 students, the 509,000-sf facility will strategically colocates programs in medicine, public health, nursing, and health sciences, as well as housing the Center for Interprofessional and Community Health Education.

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.

Houston Christian University broke ground in April of 2025 on the Smith Engineering, Science and Nursing Building to provide new opportunities for transformative education and further solidify its position as a leader in academic innovation. Kirksey Architecture designed the $60 million facility to meet the functional needs of both the College of Science and Engineering and the Linda Dunham School of Nursing while creating a vibrant destination for all students.

Where ideas go, campus architecture follows. For the University of California, Irvine, one of those moments arrived in 2022, with the completion of its new Health Science & Nursing facility, a 205,000-sf complex designed to promote the practical and philosophical priorities of integrative health—a new holistic approach to health and wellness.