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USC Health Sciences Campus in the News
On December 19, 2023 the University of South Carolina’s board gave the green light to a $300 million project that will bring a state-of-the-art, 320,000-square-foot research and academic building to Columbia’s BullStreet District. This innovative medical school campus, designed as a C-shaped limestone and glass structure surrounding a tree-lined quad, represents the first phase of USC’s visionary plan to establish a comprehensive health science campus between Harden Street and Page Ellington Park.
Set to welcome researchers and students in the fall semester of 2027, the new facility will replace USC’s current medical school at the Department of Veterans Affairs campus on Garners Ferry Road, where the university has operated since 1980. The decision to embark on this transformative project comes as the lease for the current facility is set to expire in 2030, prompting USC to move forward and address the evolving needs of medical education.
University President Michael Amiridis expressed his enthusiasm, calling the board’s approval a “historic decision” that propels USC toward the realization of a “transformational campus bringing all the health sciences together.”
Sustainability is being considered throughout the design of the USC Health Sciences Campus, with the project pursuing LEED certification. Located within Columbia’s BullStreet District, the campus benefits from access to nearby amenities, diverse uses, and area transit. Sustainable design strategies include reducing indoor water use through low-flow fixtures, optimizing energy performance through efficient HVAC systems and other energy-saving measures, selecting interior finishes that support indoor air quality, incorporating native plantings, and reducing the heat island effect. As the project moves through the LEED certification process, these strategies support the team’s broader goal of creating a healthy, efficient, and enduring campus.
The project is being developed, designed, and constructed by a collaborative team led by Gilbane Development Company. Together, longtime USC partner BOUDREAUX and national health education expert SLAM Collaborative are leading the architectural design. The general contractor is Gilbane Building Company.
