Gilbane Selected to Lead Planning, Design, Development, Construction and Operations of University of South Carolina’s Health Sciences Campus

Gilbane Development and Building Company to lead Project for new campus in the BullStreet District in downtown Columbia, SC

Columbia, SC – January 19, 2022 – Gilbane has been selected by the University of South Carolina to lead the planning, design, development, construction, and operations of the University’s new Health Sciences Campus in the BullStreet District in downtown Columbia, SC.

The initial engagement with Gilbane was presented to the Board of Trustees at a December 13, 2022 meeting.

“Gilbane understands the meaningful impact this project will have within the local community and throughout the state,” said John Keegan, Vice President, Gilbane Development Company. “Embracing a spirit of partnership and collaboration, we look forward to helping realize the vision for the health sciences campus within the BullStreet District, achieving exceptional outcomes for USC and the greater Columbia community.”  “Gilbane Building Company has been proud to work with the University of South Carolina for more than seventeen years,” said Brian Steed, South Carolina Business Leader, Gilbane Building Company. “We look forward to partnering with USC and its project stakeholders to deliver this visionary health sciences campus.”

“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 Derek Gruner, university architect.  Gilbane, which has a local office in Columbia, will serve as the developer and design-builder. The company has vast experience in health care, health sciences and higher education-affiliated projects, including hospitals, university medical schools, student housing, academic facilities, campus infrastructure, and more. Gilbane Building Company has successfully collaborated with USC for over 17 years, with seven projects delivered on campus since 2005, and was ranked as the nation’s No. 1 education facilities builder by Engineering News-Record in 2021.

The University’s health sciences campus is expected to have a transformational impact on health science research and health-care delivery in the state of South Carolina. The campus will provide state-of-the-art space for clinical education and bring together eminent researchers to help meet South Carolina’s health challenges. The initial stage of the health sciences campus will include a medical education building to house the School of Medicine Columbia and a multidisciplinary research building. Together, the two buildings will provide an estimated 292,000 gross square feet. Current plans call for construction to begin in 2025 and to be completed in 2027.“By expanding our capacity to educate physicians and other health-care professionals, we will increase our impact on the health and well-being of the Palmetto State’s citizens,” said Julius Fridriksson, vice president for research. “The new health sciences campus will also provide a cutting-edge setting 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.”

In addition to Gilbane Development Company and Gilbane Building Company, other key project team members include lead designer, BOUDREAUX, collaborating with The S/L/A/M Collaborative, construction manager Cummings, operations & maintenance provider Honeywell, construction manager and minority business Brownstone Construction Group, and development consultant and minority- and women-owned business Restoration 52. The University is committed to including minority and women-owned businesses in its contracts; its goal for subcontracting participation on this project is 30 percent for design and construction entities.

Along with Gilbane’s breadth of experience in health science and medical school developments, the SLAM Collaborative brings a history that includes the UNC School of Medicine’s Medical Education Building, Duke University’s School of Medicine Medical Education Building, Emory’s Health Science District Redevelopment / Rollins School of Public Health and the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. The University’s health sciences campus will help drive development in the BullStreet District and beyond. The 181-acre campus is the largest city-center development east of the Mississippi River. Currently under development, it is already home to Segra Parkand the Columbia Fireflies minor league baseball team; residential developments TownPark and The Babcock; outdoors retailer REI; law firms Ogletree Deakins and Robinson Gray; web developer truematter; and more.

About Gilbane
Gilbane, Inc., a private holding company with a more than 150-year history, is one of the oldest and largest family-owned construction, investment, and real estate development firms in the world. Gilbane Development Company is the project development, financing, and ownership arm of Gilbane, providing a full slate of real estate development and property management services. Gilbane Building Company is a full-service construction services firm providing preconstruction, general contracting, construction management, and design-build services on some of the nation’s most complex projects. Gilbane’s Public Private Partnership Group has delivered or has underway more than $3 billion in P3 projects for healthcare, higher education, K-12 schools, and federal/state/municipal clients.  For more information, visit www.gilbaneco.com.