By Lindsey Coulter

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The University of North Carolina at Charlotte has broken ground on the first phase of a $70 million expansion of Jerry Richardson Stadium, a project that will add 20,000 square feet and increase stadium capacity by about 20%.

RMF Engineering is leading MEP engineering for the project, with Barton Malow serving as construction manager. McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture is the lead designer in collaboration with SLAM. Completion is expected in spring 2027.

“This project is a statement about who we are and where we are headed. It reflects the momentum we are building in academics, research and athletics,” Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber said at the groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 27. “And it signals a new era for Charlotte football. Charlotte is ready to compete — and to win — on every stage.”

The expansion includes construction of a new tower above the existing press box. The tower will feature a training room for athletes, a new press box for broadcasters, and premium seating options such as seven luxury suites, loge boxes, ledge seating, an indoor private club and a terrace.

On game days, the tower will provide fans with state-of-the-art amenities. On non-game days, those areas will convert into team meeting and dining space. The facility also will allow student-athletes year-round dining access and enable Charlotte Athletics to host additional community events.

Approximately 2,400 seats will be added in the east concourse above the student section, bringing total capacity to around 17,700. The expansion is projected to generate nearly $2 million annually, more than doubling the university’s ticket revenue.

Interest in Charlotte football is surging. Head coach Tim Albin’s inaugural season and a six-game home schedule contributed to record demand for 2025, with the program selling out season tickets for the first time. Renewal rates among existing season ticket holders also reached an all-time high.

“What an incredible day for Charlotte Athletics, for our University and our community,” athletics director Mike Hill said. “The response to our expansion plan has been nothing short of tremendous. Now, this plan begins to take shape. Over the next two seasons, with as little interruption to the game-day experience as possible, our team will be hard at work delivering something truly special.”

While Richardson Stadium’s capacity will not be impacted during construction, university officials anticipate some modifications to the game-day experience.

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—A design partnership between FLAD Architects and S/L/A/M Collaborative (SLAM) has provided more educational space to train tomorrow’s healthcare workers. Roper Hall, built by T. A. Loving Company at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a boon to the university’s respected medical school, where students learn the latest techniques in medicine.

In a break from the traditional stand-and-deliver teaching method, Roper Hall has no standard lecture halls. Rather, the design by SLAM and FLAD emphasizes collaborative, interactive spaces. Students learn in seminar rooms, six medium-size classrooms as well as an “active learning theater” that can hold up to 240 people at any one time. The theater space is also where medical students will learn where they have been paired for their residencies.

SLAM also designed several simulation labs, which mimic real-life operating rooms and patient care bays. Students can then unwind at a commons offering a TV lounge, kitchen and even ping pong tables.

“Roper Hall allows us to expand our student capacity while offering state-of-the-art learning environments for all students,” said Cam Enarson, vice dean for strategic initiatives at the UNC School of Medicine. “Thanks to this new facility, our faculty are preparing more students to meaningfully respond to physician shortages and address health care needs across North Carolina.”

“We studied what medical students need to really succeed in today’s world, and reverse-engineered a design that provides the space to prepare future physicians,” said Kimberly Robidoux, higher education practice leader with SLAM. “North Carolina is one of the top states where there are shortages of primary care physicians, and the new medical education building is an important step towards expanding this ecosystem of medical learning and practicing within the state.”

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MINNEAPOLIS—The Health Sciences Education Center at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is now complete.

The $83 million HSEC is the hub for all the university’s health professional school and was designed and built to promote interprofessional education and interaction, as well as foster a culture that prioritizes student and faculty well-being.

Spanning more than 200,000 square feet, HSEC is a unique addition to the U of M, already home to one of the most comprehensive health science centers in the nation. It’s also an asset that will benefit all Minnesotans, since the U of M teaches 70% of the state’s health professionals, including physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians and public health professionals.

“The new Health Sciences Education Center is much more than a building; it is a catalyst for change as we prepare the next generation of health care professionals,” said Mark Rosenberg, MD, vice dean for education and academic affairs in the Medical School, in a statement.

To welcome health science students to HSEC, the Office of Academic Clinical Affairs and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost hosted a Welcome Week in mid September, with treats, giveaways and prize drawings. As part of the University’s efforts to mitigate its spread of COVID-19 on campus, physical distancing practices and facial coverings were required at all events.

“By preparing ourselves and our students for the future, we will have a significant impact on our state, our communities, and our personal and professional growth, all of which are closely aligned with our responsibility as a land grant University,” said Jakub Tolar, MD, PhD, vice president for clinical affairs, in a statement.

To meet the academic needs of today’s health science students, HSEC is home to:

• state-of-the-art classrooms, designed for interprofessional learning with active learning and small group teaching spaces;
• the Center for Health Interprofessional Programs, which allows health professions students a space to connect, collaborate, network and develop;
• innovation and learning support through the Health Sciences Library and Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine, which includes a rare book collection, virtual and augmented reality, makerspace and more to support problem-based learning;
• simulation and immersive training that allows health professional students to train in sophisticated, real-world care settings, trainer stations, briefing/debriefing rooms, and actor prep areas, and;
• student support and services.

Over the summer, HSEC was used in collaboration with the School of Public Health, Medical School, and the Medical Reserve Corps to assist the Minnesota Department of Health in COVID-19 contact tracing.

Also, M Simulation used HSEC spaces this past summer to train incoming residents and students on personal protective equipment in clinical environments. These are just the earliest examples of the building’s multipurpose usability and transformative potential for healthcare education.

“HSEC exemplifies the University’s commitment to academic and educational excellence,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Rachel Croson, in a statement.

“It will provide space for interprofessional education and relationship-building and will serve as a place where formerly distinct components of knowledge can be connected into an interrelated whole. Interprofessional collaboration is the future of health care, and this space is further demonstration of how Minnesota is creating that future.”

Minneapolis-based Perkins and Will and Connecticut-based SLAM designed HSEC and Kansas City-based JE Dunn served as the contractor.

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WASHINGTON, Conn.—The S/L/A/M Collaborative and Construction Services (SLAM) has just announced the successful completion of a new fitness space, the Emerson Fitness Center, for The Gunnery, a co-ed boarding and day school for students in grades 9-12 located in Washington. This collaborative design-build project transformed a 3,000-square foot theater building on the school’s campus into a new athletic, fitness and weight training facility for the student population and staff to use year-round.

The integrated design-build team at SLAM worked with the school to develop a program, reconfigure the existing space, propose conceptual imagery, develop a project budget and phased logistics plan for fast-tracked construction work on the occupied campus.

Interior renovations of the double-height wood frame structure, with exposed ceiling steel truss work, included new flooring, lighting, wall treatments, a mirror wall, and a mezzanine space, formerly housing the theater’s sound and lighting booth, now set up for Peloton bikes.

The S/L/A/M Collaborative (SLAM) is a national, multi-disciplinary design firm offering architecture, planning, interior design, landscape architecture, site planning and structural engineering services.

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PISCATAWAY, N.J.—Completed in August 2018, the Richard Weeks Hall of Engineering at Rutgers University on the Busch campus, has recently received LEED Gold Certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The 106,000-square-foot, four-story facility offers a state-of-the-art learning and research spaces designed to bring students, faculty and industry together to pursue new solutions and technologies in the areas of sustainability, energy, and advanced manufacturing.

“This building demonstrates the University’s commitment to sustainability and will serve as a benchmark for future projects. The School of Engineering has a modern facility that promotes the building as a working lab, actively engaging students in discovering innovative solutions that will transform the field of engineering and manufacturing on a local and global scale,” says Gregg Bergmiller, LEED AP, a sustainability coordinator of The S/L/A/M Collaborative.

This recognition acknowledges the many sustainable design features that are incorporated into Weeks Hall’s innovative learning environment, including: Energy cost savings of 29% through solar orientation and superior envelop design; Mechanical systems include active chilled beams, ventilation with 100% outdoor air with energy recovery wheel and demand control by occupancy and carbon dioxide sensors; Energy efficient LED lighting with automatic lighting control utilizing daylight photo and occupancy sensors; A 38% reduction of potable water use; The diversion of 97% of construction waste from landfills.

Weeks Hall of Engineering is an open and flexible facility that features flexible learning laboratories for advanced manufacturing and sustainable resources and systems. The students have hands-on access to facilities dedicated to rapid prototyping, pilot manufacturing, urban and coastal water systems, intelligent transportation systems, and more. The building includes three smart classrooms, collaborative workspace, dedicated student space, and advanced technology integration.

The New Jersey Advanced Manufacturing Institute (NJAMI), established by Rutgers, also has dedicated space in the facility to distinguish and elevate the state’s historic manufacturing profile. Students have the resources to develop and test innovative devices in areas of information technology, renewable energy, sensing devices, and health life sciences.

The S/L/A/M Collaborative (SLAM) is a national, fully integrated, multi-disciplinary architecture firm offering architecture, planning, interior design, landscape architecture and site planning, structural engineering and construction services that focuses on higher education, K-12 public/private education, healthcare and corporate market, athletic and recreation sectors.

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STEVENSON, Md.—The S/L/A/M Collaborative (SLAM), a national architecture firm, completed programming, design, and documentation for the 27,800-square-foot renovation and addition of the Five Arts and Student Center at St. Timothy’s School, a private all-girls high school established in 1882. The school held a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the Five Arts and Student Center in May.

“This was a truly transformative project for the building and the school,” said Richard Connell, FAIA, SLAM principal-in-charge. “It will provide high-quality space for the arts, including a beautifully updated theater, new dance rehearsal space, large gallery, and a welcoming space for students to study and collaborate.”

The former, two-story Hannah More Arts Center, now named The Gerry Sisters Five Arts and Student Center, is home to programs in literature, theatre, dance, visual arts and music; there is also a vibrant maker space on the Ground Floor. Inspired by the materials of one of the school’s original buildings, the Carter House, a French-style mansion, the Center uses classical materials of copper, butler stone, and cedar to transform the new building into a contemporary design.

Other significant upgrades to the facility include a refurbished 330-seat theater, featuring new seats, lighting and A/V, a full-service Health and Wellness Center, additional classroom space for the English Department, and an expanded 1,300-square-foot Art Gallery. The courtyard located between the Five Arts and Student Center and dining facility was redesigned with new ornamental trees, benches and new pavers, creating a more welcoming space to relax in between classes in the outdoors.

SLAM’s previous work on campus includes the design of The Commons and Redland Café and Dixon Hall, the main Academic Building on campus.

The S/L/A/M Collaborative (SLAM) is a national, fully integrated, multi-disciplinary architecture firm offering architecture, planning, interior design, landscape architecture and site planning, structural engineering and construction services that focuses on higher education, K-12 public/private education, healthcare and corporate market sectors.

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