Across the country, public universities and community colleges are accelerating investments in healthcare education facilities as part of a broader strategy to address workforce shortages, modernize outdated infrastructure, and expand clinical training capacity. These projects, which are often located at the center of campus health and science districts, are no longer limited to traditional classrooms. Instead, they blend academic space with high-fidelity simulation labs, digital health environments, and, in some cases, direct clinical services for surrounding communities.
These types of projects represent a pipeline of complex, multi-year initiatives that will demand specialized building systems, advanced medical technologies, and close coordination with public owners and healthcare partners. Some examples of upcoming projects still in the planning stages follow.
Officials at the University of New Mexico have announced a $600 million project to construct a new School of Medicine facility in Albuquerque. It will replace an outdated medical school complex that no longer meets the growth-related demands of the university’s medical education programs. More space is needed to train larger classes of future physicians, strengthen clinical education programs, and advance statewide efforts to address New Mexico’s longstanding healthcare provider shortages. The new education building will be designed to deliver large and adaptable classroom space, upgraded clinical teaching environments, and simulation skills-training suites. Coordination with the university’s teaching hospital will integrate classroom instruction, simulation training, and real patient care experiences. Support spaces for faculty, student advising, research, and community-facing programs will also be incorporated to align with the medical school’s expanded academic mission. The project is currently in the early design phase and construction is slated for 2027.
New York State officials have selected the University at Buffalo (UB) as the location for a system-wide Nursing Simulation Center of Excellence, and the institution has been awarded a multi-million-dollar grant to build a new nursing simulation laboratory. The new facility will be the first systemwide nursing training center of its kind for the university system.
The planned $34 million center will function as a major hub for simulation-based instruction and research for all UB campuses. The renovation will call for advanced equipment that allows students to practice both high-risk and high-frequency clinical situations. That will encompass emergency care, maternal health complications, chronic disease management, and the growing field of telehealth. Early design plans call for a suite of realistic simulation rooms that mirror acute-care units, pediatric settings, labor and delivery units, operating rooms, and home-care environments. Students will also gain access to virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) spaces that recreate varied clinical conditions. The center will also include a 360-degree immersive room where learners can practice situational awareness, teamwork, and communication to better prepare students for hospital operations. Telepresence robots will further connect UB’s simulation activities to nursing programs to support remote participation and collaborative training.
The university expects to issue design solicitations by summer 2026 and officials expect construction to begin during the 2027– 2028 academic year.
Austin Community College (ACC) officials have announced plans to construct a new $100 million health sciences and nursing academic facility at the Hays County campus in Kyle, Texas. It will serve as the campus’s primary hub for all health sciences programs and the nursing program will be the centerpiece. Core components will include nursing skills labs, high-fidelity simulation suites equipped with control rooms and debriefing spaces, and specialized instructional labs for surgical technology, radiology technology, sonography, EMS/paramedic, and dental hygiene support functions. Additional program spaces will accommodate pharmacy tech and allied health courses. These labs will require specialized equipment, such as simulation mannequins, imaging or mock-imaging devices, clinical headwalls, advanced casework, and sterilization or clean-support areas.
The project will also incorporate significant campus infrastructure improvements. A new Central Utility Plant will provide chilled water, heating, and additional building services to support the facility’s operations. Civil and site work will include upgrades to drainage, water, sanitary and storm systems, electrical distribution, and modern communications networks. A redesigned primary driveway and new internal roads will improve campus circulation and accommodate increased student activity. The project will also build additional parking to support the expanded academic footprint and address anticipated demand. The project is currently in the design phase, with construction expected to begin in late May or early June 2026.
Board members at Kentucky State University (KSU) have approved plans for a new $54 million Health Sciences Center that will significantly expand academic and clinical training capacity of the School of Nursing. When complete, the new facility will provide modern infrastructure to meet rising enrollment and position the university as a regional leader in health workforce development. The new center will be designed as a multipurpose academic and clinical environment that replaces undersized, outdated nursing spaces. Current plans call for a mix of specialized learning environments, including a virtual hospital with simulation suites, debriefing rooms, and nursing skills laboratories designed to mirror real-world clinical settings. The building will also incorporate wet labs, classrooms, and a computer lab.
Supporting spaces will include offices, conference rooms, storage for clinical equipment and records, student study areas, and multiple private testing rooms. KSU anticipates integrating a Health, Nutrition, and Wellness Center to support research, teaching, and community outreach. A community clinic providing urgent care and primary care services could be included but a final decision has not yet been made.
The project is currently in the planning and pre-design phase and construction will start in late 2026 or early 2027.
Officials at Northern Arizona University have announced plans to address a severe space shortage in the university’s health and science corridor. A new $50 million nursing building will be constructed on Flagstaff campus. Regents have said the investment is to address one of the university’s top priorities —to increase enrollment capacity and improve training for high-demand healthcare fields throughout northern Arizona. Currently, the project is in the early design and site planning stages. A construction manager at risk delivery method has been selected and construction is slated to begin in August 2027.
These types of initiatives signal a clear trend: public-sector owners are prioritizing healthcare education as essential infrastructure, and they are willing to fund projects that combine academic, clinical, and community-facing functions. From large medical education complexes to nursing simulation centers and allied health hubs, the projects moving through planning and early design today will shape procurement activity well into the next decade. Firms that understand the operational needs of healthcare training environments and emerging instructional technologies will be well positioned to compete as these campuses move planned investment dollars into construction starts.
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