Gilbane and the University of South Carolina have reached a major construction milestone with the topping out of the university’s new School of Medicine at its Health Sciences Campus in Columbia’s BullStreet District.
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The ceremony marked the placement of the building’s final structural steel beam, a traditional moment in construction that recognizes progress while honoring the work of the project’s construction and design teams. Students, faculty, staff and project partners were invited to sign two steel beams that will be permanently installed and displayed inside the building as a lasting tribute to those involved in bringing the project to this stage.
The $300 million, 330,000-square-foot facility is being delivered through a public-private partnership between USC and Gilbane, which is leading the project’s planning, design, development and construction. Construction began in February 2025, and the new School of Medicine is scheduled to open in August 2027.
Once completed, the facility will support USC’s evolving approach to medical education and research by integrating classrooms, research laboratories, medical simulation spaces and a health sciences library into a single, collaborative environment. The design emphasizes interdisciplinary learning, with indoor and outdoor spaces intended to foster collaboration among students, faculty and researchers.
“Gilbane is known as a leader in constructing cutting-edge science and research facilities, and this new School of Medicine building showcases that expertise,” said Brian Steed, Vice President and South Carolina Business Leader, Gilbane Building. “We're proud to support USC's mission and the future of healthcare education in South Carolina. Thank you to our project and trade partners for their collaboration and to the skilled craft for their work in realizing this exciting milestone.”
Project leaders emphasized that the new School of Medicine will serve as the first building on USC’s emerging Health Sciences Campus and a cornerstone for future development in the area.
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“We 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” said John Keegan, senior vice president at Gilbane Development. “Though 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.”
The building’s architectural vision reflects both USC’s campus legacy and its future ambitions in health sciences.
“For 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,” said University Architect Derek Gruner. “Education 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.”
The Health Sciences Campus is a central component of USC Next, the university’s 10-year master plan focused on campus improvements and capital investments through 2034. The project is also designed to integrate seamlessly into the surrounding BullStreet District, supporting the area’s transformation into a vibrant, mixed-use community.
Other key members of the project team include BOUDREAUX as lead architect in collaboration with SLAM Collaborative, Cumming and Brownstone Construction Group as construction manager partners, and Restoration 52 as development consultant.
Originally reported by Gilbane Building Company in PR News Wire.
