Quinnipiac University to Build $293M South Quad

Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., recently received final approval from the Hamden Planning and Zoning Commission to build a new, $293-million South Quad, according to a university news release. The project entails the new construction of a 142,000-square-foot general academics building, an 80,000-square-foot School of Business, and a 417-bed residence hall for first year students. Construction will begin this winter, and the area is expected to open to students during the 2024–25 school year.

“This is a great example of our community’s shared vision for the future,” said Quinnipiac’s vice president of strategy and community relations, Bethany Zemba. “So many people have participated in conversations—from the development of our master facilities plan to working with the planning and zoning commission.”

The news release reports that the three buildings are designed to support social development and student learning, as well as to provide faculty with advanced facilities for research, pedagogy and immersive learning experiences. The School of Business will include an innovation hub to help students build and test new ideas. It will also include a financial technology center, faculty offices, flexible spaces for events and lectures, and an “environmentally conscious” central energy plant.

The general academic building will include classrooms and collaborative spaces, administrative space for deans and faculty, wet and dry labs, expanded space for computing programs, and a 700-seat auditorium. The new residence hall will feature single- and double-occupancy rooms, lounge space, and an outdoor courtyard.

“The South Quad project is a momentous investment in the future of education at Quinnipiac,” said School of Business Dean Holly Raider. “The future home of the School of Business will spark collaborative learning experiences, provide added space for academic and career advising for students, and will accelerate innovation in new areas of study.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Arlington High School

    Arlington High School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Arlington High School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • Texas Recruitment

    Texas Recruitment

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The University of Texas at Austin's Texas Recruitment has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • Higher Ed is Betting on New Buildings While Quietly Undermining Their Campuses — Here’s Why

    In this climate, the owner’s representative has changed from a delivery-focused advisor to a strategic campus partner. Institutions are increasingly relying on owner’s reps not just to manage, cope, schedule, and budget, but also help evaluate whether a project should proceed at all.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.