Higher Education

One of the biggest sea changes in both professional and collegiate athletics is the increased participation of women at all levels—as team owners, athletes, coaches, officials, and staff. Coverage of women’s basketball and women’s soccer, which eclipsed men’s soccer for a time, seems to dominate the sports news cycle, and viewership is expected to keep rising in 2025. The Professional Women’s Hockey League played its first game in January 2024, and the world’s first stadium built solely for a professional women’s sports team opened in March 2024. January 2025 saw the inauguration of a new 3x3 women’s professional basketball league, called Unrivaled, based in Miami. Revenue from women’s sports nearly doubled in 2024, to $1.88 billion globally, and is projected to reach $2.35 billion in 2025. More than half of that revenue came from North America, and investors are taking note.

The design and planning of medical and health sciences education facilities serve as both the precursor and the wave of the future, with facilities that are not only mixed-use, but truly hybridized and integrated. Formerly siloed programs for nursing, medical, surgical, and pharmaceutical training reap exponential benefits from shared technology, resources, and spaces that enable multiple institutions and stakeholders to offer more robust programs. The hybrid building model mirrors a coevolving approach to healthcare, where teamwork is central, and training with the latest technologies is key. By accommodating the functions of multiple disciplines, forward-thinking institutions can both leverage available space and focus on creating environments for the interpersonal collaboration that underpins the experience of 21st-century health practitioners, as well as that of their patients.

Fermi America is partnering with the Texas Tech University System to establish the Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus in Amarillo. Also known as the HyperGrid, the visionary development will provide crucial infrastructure to meet the growing demands of artificial intelligence, data innovation, and sustainable energy. The 5,769-acre site will accommodate 18 million sf of data center space and will eventually generate up to 11 gigawatts of IT capacity.

The University of Virginia is constructing the $100 million Karsh Institute of Democracy in Charlottesville to foster the exploration and enhancement of democratic culture, laws, and institutions. Designed by Höweler+Yoon Architecture and Hanbury, this vibrant ecosystem of spaces will bring faculty, students, staff, and public figures together to accelerate the translation of research and scholarship into actionable solutions.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is constructing the $108 million Student Success Center at the heart of campus to catalyze academic and social engagement. Designed by HASTINGS Architecture and Lord Aeck Sargent, this vibrant hub will collocate key resources in a fully accessible and inclusive environment. The 116,000-sf structure will stand five stories high with a basement level, allowing for passage underneath and through the facility to promote connectivity with Hodges Library, Hess Hall, and the Pedestrian Mall.  

The University of Sydney celebrated the beginning of construction on the AU$780 million Sydney Biomedical Accelerator in May of 2025. Created in partnership with the Government of New South Wales and Sydney Local Health District, the 387,500-sf structure will forge a vital link between the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the university's Camperdown campus.

Virginia Commonwealth University is planning to construct a new School of Dentistry to advance dental education and improve access to care throughout the state and beyond. Designed by Kahler Slater in collaboration with Hanbury, the 312,000-sf facility will collocate sophisticated teaching labs with environments for clinical instruction and specialized patient treatment in a landmark setting.

Harper College began construction in June of 2025 on the Business and Social Sciences Building in Palatine, Ill. Designed by RAMSA and FGM Architects, the $78 million facility will offer flexible environments for a wide range of programs including accounting, political science, legal studies, psychology, sociology, drone technology, and computer information systems. The 92,380-gsf structure will feature a moot courtroom and a multifunctional theater and auditorium with 300 seats.

California State University, Fullerton broke ground in June of 2025 on the College of Engineering and Computer Science Innovation Hub. Gensler designed the $85 million facility as collaborative workspace that will empower the next generation of innovators and industry professionals to solve real-world challenges. Rising next to the existing engineering building, the 42,000-sf structure will offer teaching and research labs, maker spaces, immersive learning environments, and areas for project-based exploration.

Texas A&M University broke ground in June of 2025 on the Linda & Dennis Clark ’68 Small Animal Teaching Hospital in College Station. Designed by Page and Foil Wyatt Architects and Planners, the $181 million project will provide the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) with a translational hub for innovation that will contribute to the wellbeing of animals and humans alike.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham celebrated the opening of Frances and Miller Gorrie Hall in June of 2025. Designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood, the $77 million facility advances the School of Engineering’s mission to attract leading faculty and train the next generation of modern engineers. The 116,000-sf structure enables a progressive pedagogy that blends academic instruction with hands-on learning and industry experience.

Northeastern University is planning to construct a 310,000-sf athletics and recreation complex on a two-acre site in Boston. Designed by Perkins&Will and DREAM Collaborative, the multifunctional center will include a Division I arena that can accommodate 4,050 attendees for ice hockey and 5,300 for basketball, with excellent sight lines to enhance the fan experience and enable television broadcasting.

The University of New England opened the Harold and Bibby Alfond Center for Health Sciences in June of 2025 in Portland, Maine. This dynamic new home for the College of Osteopathic Medicine was designed by SMRT Architects & Engineers to equip future doctors and health professionals with the vital skills to collaboratively deliver team-based care.

Advanced manufacturing (AM) experts say companies around the country that are currently trying to build up their AM capabilities are held back by three things: experience with cutting-edge AM equipment, experts who can show how to take full advantage of such equipment’s capabilities, and highly trained workers who have the skills to operate the equipment. Administrators at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla hope to fill all three gaps with the help of a new facility they call The Missouri Protoplex. 

Norwich University is constructing the Cyber Fusion Research and Development Center in Northfield, Vt. The multifunctional building will provide leading-edge environments for programs related to cybersecurity, advanced computing, criminology, communications, geointelligence, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and information dominance and warfare.