By Lindsey Coulter听

COLUMBIA, S.C. 鈥撯��听The University of South Carolina (USC),听has reached a major milestone with the 鈥渢opping out鈥� of the new School of Medicine at the听university鈥檚听Health Sciences Campus in Columbia鈥檚听BullStreet听District.听This marks the placement of a building鈥檚 final structural steel beam.听USC students, staff, and project team members had the opportunity to sign two beams, both of which will be permanently installed and displayed in the building.听

Construction began in February听2025,听and the听$300 million, 330,000-square-foot听facility is set to open in August 2027. The project听represents听a public-private partnership between USC and national听integrated real estate development听construction firm听Gilbane, which is leading听the planning, design,听development听and construction of the project.听Other key project members include BOUDREAUX as lead architect in collaboration with design architect SLAM Collaborative, construction manager partner Cumming, construction manager partner Brownstone Construction听Group听and development consultant Restoration 52.听听听

Upon completion, the new facility will blur the boundaries between interdisciplinary research and medical education, offering听state-of-the-art听classrooms, research labs, medical simulations spaces,听health-sciences library, and collaborative indoor and outdoor learning and event spaces.听

鈥淲e are proud to partner with the University of South Carolina in delivering their new School of Medicine, a significant investment by USC in innovative research and medical education, and the first building on its new Health Sciences Campus鈥澨齭aid听John Keegan,听Senior听Vice听President at Gilbane Development, in a statement. 鈥淭hough public-private partnerships such as this, Gilbane is helping to transform university campuses across the country, developing and building everything from academic and research spaces to student housing to auxiliary facilities.鈥�听

鈥淔or inspiration, the USC School of Medicine Building at the Health Sciences Campus looks back to the legacy of thoughtfully conceived architecture and outdoor spaces on the main campus while simultaneously looking forward to establishing an ecosystem for sustaining state-of-the-art health sciences education and research,鈥澨齛dd听University Architect Derek Gruner.听听鈥淓ducation and interdisciplinary research will be combined under one roof so that each will engage with and contribute to the other through extraordinary classrooms, well-equipped simulation spaces, wet and dry labs, numerous study environments, and dramatic public spaces.鈥�听

The realization of the new听听is one of the key goals of USC Next, a 10-year master plan of proposed improvements and capital projects designed to meet the needs of USC Columbia students, faculty, and staff through 2034.听听The campus will seamlessly integrate with the broader听BullStreet听District, contributing to its vibrant, mixed-use community.听

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In his most recent role, Ritua served as Gilbane鈥檚 project director where he managed several education, healthcare and commercial projects with a portfolio value of $860 million. During his time as project director, Ritua led groundbreaking projects, including the $280 million . A LEED-accredited professional, he holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with an emphasis in building science from the University of Southern California.听听

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NORTHRIDGE, Calif.鈥擥eneral contracting firm Gilbane Building Company has broken ground on a new annex educational facility for California State University, Northridge.

As designed by Gensler, the 62,000-square-foot, $43.4-million Sierra Annex will be cited adjacent to the existing Sierra Hall. Sierra Annex will be home to a 3,000-square-foot main lecture hall, seminar rooms, classrooms and a few additional lecture halls. Gensler鈥檚 design incorporates natural lighting, and the hall鈥檚 flow of space is meant to encourage collaboration. The classrooms are also designed to be flexible such that they can be adapated for multiple uses.

Gensler and Gilbane previously collaborated on CSUN鈥檚 Associated Students Sustainability Center, which came online in 2017. In a recent announcement on the firm鈥檚 website, Gilbane鈥檚 area manager Raul Rosales said that his company enjoys a long-term working relationship with CSUN and Gensler, and thus this project offered an opportunity to continue such a collaboration.

鈥淲e are excited to be working on this inspiring project that will not only be an iconic building on campus, but improve the student鈥檚 academic experience as well,鈥� he said.

The Sierra Annex is scheduled to debut for the fall 2023 semester, with additional work to be completed sometime in 2025.

Gilbane was founded in 1870 and remains a privately run, family-operated firm, with nearly 50 offices worldwide. Their Los Angeles office has been engaged in the Sierra Annex project.

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TEMPE, Ariz.鈥擟onstruction firm Gilbane and its team have worked fruitfully with Arizona鈥檚 Gila River Indian Community on a new educational building, called the Blackwater Community School. The two-story structure will have the capability to serve students from preschool and on through 5th grade. The school will also host the local Family and Child Education Program (F.A.C.E.).

Gilbane鈥檚 partners on the job included electrical engineer Rosendin, based in San Jose, as well as architectural designer Breckenridge Group.

The $25 million project鈥檚 aim was to replace an older school that existed on the same 7.43-acre campus before but had fallen into disrepair. The new facility entails educational space as well as a cafeteria, multipurpose area and media center. Throughout the new campus, the contractors and architects worked with tribal leaders to hang artwork important to the two tribes serviced by the school, the Akimel O鈥橭tham, descended from the Hohokam people, and the Pee Posh, of Yuma ancestry. Accordingly, all the artwork at the school was approved by the Blackwater Community School Board.

Historically, the Hohokam were known for their technological virtuosity when it came to irrigating crops in the extremely arid Southwest. Accordingly, artwork on the campus showcases scenes of the Hohokam engaging in agricultural activities. Furthermore, a shade structure constructed of metal was fashioned to resemble cactus ribs, a material the Akimel O鈥橭tham used.

Rosendin, the electrical company, ensured that the artworks were properly lit. Rosendin also worked on improving exterior illumination to sports fields, playgrounds and various patio spaces as well.

鈥淭he Blackwater Community School is the heart of the community and celebrates the Gila River Indian Community鈥檚 heritage throughout the year,鈥� Jagdish (Jack) Sharma, principal of Blackwater Community School, said in a recent statement. 鈥淥ur educators take pride in our quality educational practices and the presence of traditions. This is the reason why traditional symbols of the culture are placed throughout the new campus.鈥�

Sharma added that one of the school鈥檚 murals shows the nighttime desert, and the name 鈥淏lackwater鈥� itself comes from how the desert鈥檚 standing water looks darkly in the evening. 鈥淭here are murals like this all over campus that reflect our students鈥� culture enriching their overall learning experience,鈥� Sharma said.

Parts of the construction had to be completed while students were still in session at the older buildings. Accordingly, scheduling had to be juggled so that the largest parts of the buildout took place over breaks when students weren鈥檛 at school.

鈥淏lackwater Community School will serve as a pivotal gathering and educational spot for children and adults on the Gila River Indian Community,鈥� Jeff Keck, senior project executive of Gilbane Building Company, said in a recent statement about his firm鈥檚 work. 鈥淕ilbane is proud to work with Rosendin and other trade partners to have safely built a new campus to support this community鈥檚 families, cultures and traditions.鈥�

Added Ben Miller, Rosendin鈥檚 division manager: 鈥淩osendin is proud to have built the new elementary school in the Gila River Indian Community to give students the very best environment to learn and grow. The school will serve as the hub of the larger community and support family education and culture in the local area.鈥�

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ARLINGTON, Va.鈥擳he Heights, a new secondary school building in Arlington, is now complete. The 181,000-square-foot facility co-locates two Arlington Public School (APS) programs鈥攁 democratic alternative magnet program, and a program for students with severe intellectual disabilities.

Leo A Daly served as executive architect for the approximately $100-million project, working closely with design architect BIG鈥擝jarke Ingels Group. Gilbane Building Company provided construction manager at-risk services.

鈥淭he Heights creates a new architectural icon in Northern Virginia and one of the most innovative educational facilities ever built,鈥� explained Tim Duffy, vice president and director of technical services with Leo A Daly.

鈥淟earning and community are infused into every detail鈥攆rom its twisting geometry to the bespoke learning environments that support students in their educational journey.鈥�

The team successfully maximized density and open space on the constrained site. Five levels of classrooms are rotated around a central pivot point, creating rooftop terraces on each level that serve as outdoor educational environments. A cascading central stair stitches the five levels together, creating a sense of connectivity and community that is rare in midrise school buildings.

A lobby and gathering space, theater and gymnasium are located on the ground floor, occupying spaces of varying heights created by the rotation of the classroom bars. Public areas are accessible from the main street along Wilson Boulevard.

The large open lobby offers tiered seating for students to gather. Classrooms use flexible layouts that can be rearranged for different learning formats. State-of-the-art smart panel screens allow students to share content from their own school-issued devices for more interactive learning. Specialized spaces include a library, art studio, a kiln, science and robotics labs, music rehearsal rooms and two performing arts theaters.

Additionally, four rooftop terraces are accessible directly from classrooms on levels two through five. Each terrace provides a different scale of activity, from large gatherings to class discussions and quiet study areas. The four terraces are designed to reflect the major ecosystems of the Mid-Atlantic physiographic regions and are landscaped with native plants and tree species through an intensive green roof system.

Leo A Daly and BIG worked closely with structural engineering firm Robert Silman Associates to execute the building鈥檚 many gravity-defying cantilevers. A system of trusses transfers building loads at each level, while avoiding the need to have columns in classrooms or other large program areas, such as the gym and theater. A careful erection sequence was carried out in phases to build the complicated structure.

The project was designed in response to the rapid densification currently underway in the Rosslyn business district. As part of the West Rosslyn Area Plan (WRAP), the Heights contributes to an urban mixed-use corridor defined by civic-minded public spaces and a blend of retail, office and residential uses.

The Heights supports the learning needs of two unique APS programs housed there: H-B Woodlawn and the Stratford Program.

Based on the liberal education movements on the 1960s and 1970s, H-B Woodlawn empowers students from grades 6 through 12 to direct their own courses of study and engage directly in administrative matters. The space was designed more like a university campus than a typical high school.

The Eunice Shriver Kennedy Program鈥攚hich serves special-needs students aged 11 to 22鈥� occupies two levels within a dedicated wing of the building. Many Shriver Program students use wheelchairs and have sensory and motor disabilities that require the help of a personal companion during the day. The curriculum is individualized to each student and focuses on vocational and community skills such as daily living, communication, leisure, recreation and other skills that help with independence.

The density of the building鈥檚 program also required a careful approach to acoustical design. Spaces with the greatest potential for noise bleed鈥攕uch as gyms and theaters鈥攁re located on the ground floor. Other spaces, such as music rehearsal rooms, have isolated floor slabs and suspended ceilings to buffer them from surrounding classrooms. The large auditorium uses conditioned air supplied through an underfloor plenum, achieving isolation from the adjacent mechanical room.

This high-performance, sustainable building is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification.

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