Florida State is Building a New Student Union

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida State University (FSU) is moving ahead with an ambitious plan to take down Oglesby Union and build a new one that incorporates FSU tradition, while elevating the look and feel of the entire campus. The new four-story Oglesby Union will feature a visionary style, including sleek glass walls, comfortable outdoor seating, state-of-the-art technology, and many of the venues students have grown to know and love. A bigger and better FSU Campus Bookstore will feature prominently in the facility, along with new ballrooms, study and leisure areas, spaces for meetings and student groups, and new food venues.

Florida State University Student Union

“It’s going to be transformative,” says Oglesby Union director Matt Ducatt, who has been collaborating with a team of design and construction experts. “It’s going to be a great facility for our campus and students.”

The new Oglesby Union will be larger than the previous facility, including nearly 300,000 square feet of space, and introduce a lively new sports-themed restaurant, as well as a half dozen new food operations. Ducatt said the redesigned union will be laid out with a smarter, more efficient design, making it easier to get around and enjoy outdoor amenities.

The design was developed by a partnership between Architects Lewis+Whitlock of Tallahassee and Workshop Architects of Milwaukee. The team has extensive experience with university construction projects. Construction will be led by the Ajax Building Corporation.

Featured

  • Dallas ISD Voters Approve $6.2B Bond Package

    Dallas ISD voters have approved a record-setting $6.2-billion bond package that district leaders say will modernize aging campuses, eliminate portable classrooms and reshape learning environments across one of the nation’s largest school systems.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.