Academic Medical

Austin Peay State University broke ground in August of 2023 on the $65 Health Professions Building in Clarksville, Tenn. Designed by Hastings Architecture and Ayers Saint Gross, the 114,600-sf facility will provide a dynamic mix of instructional venues supporting both lecture-based and active learning modalities. Featuring leading-edge simulation suites, the three-story structure will include teaching and research labs, collaboration spaces, study areas, a community clinic, and administrative and faculty offices.

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is constructing the $75 million Research and Education Institute on its existing hospital campus in Sarasota, Fla. The 80,000-sf facility will provide leading-edge environments for basic and clinical research where physicians and investigators can engage in collaborative discovery. Featuring a state-of-the-art simulation center, the five-story structure will also accommodate instructional spaces for graduate medical programs, nursing courses, and associated training activities.

The University of Iowa will begin construction in fall of 2023 on the $249 million Health Sciences Academic Building in Iowa City. Offering instructional, administrative, clinical, and research space, the 263,000-gsf facility will strategically collocate programs in communication sciences and disorders, health and human physiology, and physical therapy and rehabilitation science. Leading-edge learning environments will prepare the next generation of medical professionals to deliver patient-centered care in collaboration with other specialists.

The New Brunswick Development Corporation began construction in early summer of 2023 on the first phase of the HELIX innovation district. Catalyzing regional synergies in medical research, education, and healthcare, the $750 million project will accommodate tenants including Rutgers University, RWJBarnabas Health, Hackensack Meridian Health, and Princeton University. The 12-story, 573,400-sf structure will strategically collocate three key elements.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston broke ground in June of 2023 on a $299 million facility for the School of Public Health. Located in the Texas Medical Center’s Helix Park, the 350,000-sf tower will provide leading-edge research labs, collaboration spaces, and classrooms for programs in epidemiology, genetics, nutrition, health policy, data science, and health promotion. Featuring an expansive auditorium, the 10-story building will integrate advanced distance-learning technologies to enable both in-person and remote instruction.

The Australian Institute for Infectious Disease (AIID) is planning to construct a state-of-the-art translational research facility in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct. The Doherty Institute, the Burnet Institute, and the University of Melbourne are the founding partners for the AUD$650 million project, which will accommodate over 1,000 scientists, academics, professionals, and public health experts engaged in collaborative discovery.

Purdue University is planning to construct the $160 million Nursing and Pharmacy Education Building in West Lafayette, Ind. Fostering interprofessional collaboration and discovery, the 186,000-sf facility will strategically collocate the College of Health and Human Services with the College of Pharmacy. The four-story structure will mirror modern healthcare settings with clinical simulation labs, a pharmacy practice lab, and a nuclear pharmacy lab.

The Ohio State University opened the $237.5 million Pelotonia Research Center in May of 2023 in Columbus. Collocating research programs in life sciences, engineering, data sciences, and environmental health, the 305,000-sf building will accelerate the creation of novel solutions for complex scientific problems. Pelli Clarke & Partners and Moody Nolan designed the five-story structure with integrated laboratory neighborhoods to foster collaboration and discovery.

University College London is constructing IoN-DRI, a £281.6 million neuroscience center where 500 clinicians and investigators will work together to translate research discoveries into innovative solutions for patient care. The interdisciplinary complex will collocate the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology (IoN), the UK Dementia Research Institute (DRI), and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.

Emory University opened the $440 million Winship Cancer Institute in May of 2023 in Atlanta. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in collaboration with May Architecture, the 455,000-sf facility integrates translational research with clinical care to optimize patient outcomes. The 17-story building offers 80 inpatient beds, six operating rooms, linear accelerators, imaging suites, infusion rooms, wellness areas, and a stunning double-height lobby.

Stellenbosch University opened the $66 million Biomedical Research Institute (BMRI) in Cape Town in April of 2023. Located on the Tygerburg Campus, the 354,000–sf complex leverages an open design to foster active collaboration between researchers, staff, and students as they investigate the diseases that have the greatest impact on South Africa. Housing the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation, this high-performance research hub features a BSL-3 laboratory spanning 6,500 sf, the largest on the continent.

The University of Kansas Medical Center faced a dilemma: how to support its growing research programs and faculty needs amid budget restrictions, aging buildings, and a backlog of deferred maintenance, all in the shadow of a decision by the university’s governing board that it would no longer fund new construction. Tasked instead with renovating existing facilities, KU Medical Center (KUMC) partnered with a facilities asset management company to assess and compile data on the condition of all infrastructure components, including everything from the air handling units, chillers, and boilers to the carpet and sprinkler system.

The University of Texas at Arlington opened a $76 million health sciences facility in April of 2023 for the School of Social Work. Featuring flexible, technology-enabled learning environments, the 150,000-sf building includes teaching and research labs, study areas, and offices for faculty and staff. This dynamic nexus of interprofessional education was designed by SmithGroup to enable an innovative pedagogy that enhances collaboration between allied health disciplines. 

Texas A&M University has created an integrated Engineering Medicine (EnMed) program designed to train medical school students who possess degrees in engineering, computer science, physics, and/or related career experience, to identify and solve significant healthcare problems. These physicianeers graduate in four years with both medical doctor (MD) and a unique master of engineering (M.Eng.) degree that is focused on the design and implementation of medical technologies. To fulfill this mission, Texas A&M has renovated and modernized a former bank office building into the 144,000-sf EnMed Tower, equipped with large reconfigurable learning studios, simulation spaces, flexible classrooms, multidisciplinary labs, maker spaces, and virtual anatomy labs that leverage virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies. The school will graduate it first class of physicianeers on May 20.

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore opened the Pharmacy and Health Professions Building in April of 2023 in Princess Anne, Md. Designed by Shepley Bulfinch and Ayers Saint Gross, the 120,000-sf facility features state-of-the-art teaching labs and simulation spaces for the School of Pharmacy, as well as accommodating courses in kinesiology, physician assistance, and physical therapy and rehabilitation.