Academic Medical

The University of New Mexico is planning to create a new home for the School of Medicine in Albuquerque. The 330,000-sf building will act as a gateway to UNM's North Campus, which accommodates the existing Health Sciences Center and UNM Hospital. Shaped by the vision of ZGF Architects and McClain + Yu Architecture & Design, the transformational development is expected to double enrollment capacity over the next decade to address the demand for more providers across the region.

The University of Nebraska at Kearney opened the $95 million Health Science Education Center II in January of 2026. Created in collaboration with the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the 110,000-sf facility addresses a pressing need for more healthcare providers in underserved areas. The architectural vision of RDG Planning & Design created a dynamic environment for programs in medicine, nursing, and allied health.

The University of South Carolina is constructing the School of Medicine Columbia as the centerpiece of its $300 million Health Sciences Campus. Supporting the institution’s evolving approach to medical pedagogy and discovery, the 330,000-sf building will feature active learning classrooms, leading-edge simulation spaces, wet and dry labs, and a health science library.

The University of Waikato broke ground in December of 2025 on the New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine at the heart of its Hamilton campus. Designed by Chow:Hill Architects, the 59,202-sf facility will initially accommodate 120 students per year with the capacity to expand to cohorts of 160 in the future. The NZD 230 million (USD 132.2 million) building will feature a variety of purpose-built teaching environments to enable the delivery of an innovative pedagogy that emphasizes hands-on experience and technology-rich educational modalities.

UCI Health opened the nation’s first all-electric acute care hospital in December of 2025 in Irvine, Calif. Designed by CO Architects, the 350,000-sf facility offers specialties in cardiology, oncology, digestive health, neurology, orthopedics, and spine care. A garden-level ‘mega-floor’ spanning 56,000 sf unites 15 standard operating rooms, five interventional procedure rooms, four advanced multispecialty interventional suites, and 64 pre-op and recovery beds.

The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit has rejected the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding for indirect costs. In January of 2026, a three-judge panel ruled unanimously that prior attempts to cap reimbursement rates for overhead expenses at 15 percent of any given grant for universities and institutions engaged in medical and scientific research were unlawful.

The University of New South Wales Sydney opened the Health Translation Hub in November of 2025 in Australia. Developed by Plenary Group, the AUD 600 million (USD 396.8 million) facility drives impactful medical discoveries to revolutionize patient care. Students at the clinical school benefit from an interdisciplinary ecosystem that directly connects future health professionals, researchers, and educators with industry partners and clinicians to foster knowledge exchange and immersive learning.

Arizona State University is planning to construct an innovation and education hub that will act as the headquarters for ASU Health in Phoenix. Designed by CO Architects and DFDG Architecture to drive multidisciplinary discovery, the 200,000-sf facility will house the School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering and the School of Technology for Public Health.

University of Michigan Health opened a $920 million clinical inpatient tower in November of 2025 in Ann Arbor. Designed by HOK and Integrated Design Solutions, the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Health Care Pavilion delivers high-level specialty care services for neurology, neurosurgery, otolaryngology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, spine conditions, and cardiovascular medicine, as well as cardiac, vascular, and thoracic surgery.

Coriell Institute for Medical Research broke ground in October of 2025 on a 92,000-sf life sciences campus in Camden. Created in partnership with NJEDA, the Lewis L. Coriell Medical Research Center will advance the frontiers of biomedical science to catalyze critical breakthroughs in cancer treatment, stem cell technology, epigenetics, and drug discovery. 

Penn State Health opened a comprehensive cancer facility in October of 2025 at Hampden Medical Center in Enola. Designed by Flad Architects, the 40,250-sf building consolidates three West Shore locations to ensure the streamlined delivery of world-class care by a team of multidisciplinary specialists. The Penn State Health Cancer Center offers critical services including physician appointments, diagnostic imaging, infusion, medical oncology, radiation therapy, and mammary care. 

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso is constructing a $156 million comprehensive cancer hub and a $186 million clinical sciences building to ensure access to treatment throughout the West Texas region and enhance patient outcomes. The Steve and Nancy Fox Cancer Center is being created in partnership with University Medical Center of El Paso, and is supported by over $130 million in state funding and a $30 million county bond.

Penn Medicine opened a $376 million facility in September of 2025 in Philadelphia to drive pioneering research in autoimmune disorders. Positioned atop an existing 250,000-sf office tower, the eight-story overbuild features wet laboratories, a vivarium, and a BSL-3 lab for the processing of infectious disease specimens. The 217,000-sf expansion was designed by Perkins&Will to stimulate collaboration and accelerate the development of new treatment modalities for conditions such as arthritis, lupus, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. 

Arkansas Children’s is constructing the $75 million National Center for Opioid Research and Clinical Effectiveness (NCOR) on the site of the Little Rock hospital campus. Designed by ESa (Earl Swensson Associates), the 65,000-sf facility will enable pioneering longitudinal studies on the effects of opioid exposure on family and pediatric health to guide treatment approaches and inform policy decisions.

UC Davis Health opened the $182 million Folsom Medical Care Clinic in August of 2025 to elevate community health outcomes across the Sierra Foothills region of California. Consolidating three existing local facilities, the 114,000-sf building offers primary and specialty care, including pediatric and family medicine as well as cardiology, neurology, hematology, and other disciplines. The three-story structure also accommodates new services for cancer patients.