USC Selects Developer for $300M Health Sciences Campus

The University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C., recently announced that it has selected a developer for its new health sciences campus in downtown Columbia. Gilbane will spearhead the project’s planning, design, development, and construction after approval by the university’s Board of Trustees in mid-December, according to a university news release.

The 181-acre campus’ first stage consists of two buildings, a medical education building and multidisciplinary research building, totaling 292,000 square feet. Construction is currently scheduled to begin in 2025 and end in 2027. Future developments are slated to include a brain center to expand the university’s McCausland Center for Brain Imaging and offer treatment options to local Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.

“Gilbane has assembled a world-class design and construction team that will provide innovation and expertise to develop a health sciences campus to serve USC and the state of South Carolina for many generations into the future,” said university architect Derek Gruner.

Gilbane has announced plans to partner with numerous local businesses and is aiming for a 30-percent subcontracting participation rate for minority- and women-owned businesses.

“By expanding our capacity to educate physicians and other healthcare professionals, we will increase our impact on the health and well-being of the Palmetto State’s citizens,” said vice president for research Julius Fridriksson. “The new health sciences campus will also provide a cutting-edge settling where our faculty can unleash their drive for innovation in the health sector, discovering new lifesaving and health-promoting technologies through increased research and development.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.

  • 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.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.

  • Moline-Coal Valley School District to Consolidate Two Schools into New Facility

    The Moline-Coal Valley School District in Moline, Ill., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff from two existing schools, according to local news. Robert Ontiveros Elementary School will serve as the new home for Lincoln-Irving Elementary School and Willard Elementary School.