With an estimated cost of $280 million, the building represents the largest single-project funding package in UofL’s history. The State of Kentucky has allocated $260 million toward the project, with the university providing the remaining $20 million.

“Today marks more than the start of a new building. It reflects a bold commitment to the future of health in our community and across Kentucky,” said President Gerry Bradley. “This new health sciences facility will accelerate discovery, strengthen our workforce and expand access to high-quality care. It’s an investment in people, in partnership and a powerful step toward building healthier lives, stronger families and a more resilient region.”

The , located along Preston Street from Chestnut to Gray, will be a connecting point for the UofL Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Public Health and Information Sciences. The building features extensive medical simulation facilities, along with dedicated spaces for learning, research and work. The six-story, 257,000-square-foot structure will enable UofL to increase enrollment in health professions programs to meet existing and future health care workforce demands.

“Investing in the UofL Health Sciences Center is a direct investment in the future of Kentucky’s economy. By modernizing how we train our next generation of nurses, doctors and dentists through simulation training, we are ensuring that our commonwealth remains a leader in health care innovation,” said Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers. “A healthy workforce is the backbone of a strong economy, and this facility will provide the critical infrastructure needed to train the next generation of health care professionals to serve the people of the commonwealth.” 

The space is designed to facilitate interdisciplinary learning, instilling a collaborative, interprofessional approach to health sciences. The goal is to advance health professions education, empowering the next generation of health care providers to improve health and health care for people in Louisville, across Kentucky and beyond.

“Building a strong and resilient economy for Kentucky families starts with investing in people – those including our health care workforce. This state-of-the-art simulation facility will give students the hands-on training they need to master complex clinical skills before ever entering a hospital room,” said David Osborne, speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives. “By modernizing health care education, we are strengthening the pipeline of highly trained professionals ready to meet the demands of a 21st-century economy. Ultimately, this investment will lead to better care, improved outcomes and healthier communities across the commonwealth.”

The building’s modular classroom and conference spaces, research labs and workspaces are designed with the needs of learners and instructors in mind. UofL’s School of Public Health and Information Sciences will be completely housed within the building, while other spaces are customized for the Schools of Dentistry, Medicine and Nursing.

Extensive simulation facilities will incorporate the latest technology where health professions students, residents and clinical professionals can gain practical skills training. Jarrod Young, , is leading the development, integration and strategic direction of the simulation spaces.

“This groundbreaking is an investment in Louisville’s future,” said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. “By uniting education, research and hands-on training, UofL’s new Health Sciences Building will grow the next generation of health care professionals, strengthen our workforce, improve health outcomes for people across Kentucky and reinforce Louisville’s role as a leading medical and education hub for Kentucky and beyond.”

The structure is infused with an emphasis on collaboration, engagement and wellbeing for those who use each space, with formal and informal working and gathering spaces, natural light and easy access to landscaped outdoor spaces. Casual dining and seating options encourage personal interaction. Abundant windows are enhanced with a unique scrim to prevent glare and heat gain, while still taking advantage of sunlight. The space provides multiple opportunities to access nature with plantings along the perimeter, terraced outdoor space and a microforest of dense natural landscaping on the building’s south side.

The building sits along the main corridor of the and borders the , which is improving walkability, health and safety by enhancing walkways and adding trees and green spaces to the streetscape.

The building design is a product of architects Champlin | EOP with Perkins&Will, and Messer construction is the general contractor. Construction is expected to be completed in 2029.

To learn more, visit the . View a of the construction site.

“UofL is a nationally recognized leader in driving innovation, spurring economic growth and providing students with the education and experience they need to succeed in the real world,” said UofL President Gerry Bradley. “This amazing new facility, with state-of-the-art amenities, will speed those efforts, creating bold new opportunities for our students, researchers and the commonwealth.”

With state-of-the-art classrooms, lab facilities, conference rooms and a makerspace, the new building will prepare engineering students with hands-on instruction and industry experience. Designed by Luckett & Farley and SmithGroup with Whittenberg Construction as the general contractor, the $90-million project was first announced in Feb. 2024. As the new focal point of Speed School, the building aims to provide the infrastructure that prepares future engineering leaders across Kentucky’s increasingly technology-focused workforce.

“This new Student Success & Research Building represents a strategic investment in Kentucky’s future,” said Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester. With expanded lab space, collaborative learning environments and a focus on innovation, it strengthens our capacity to educate the next generation of engineers and problem-solvers. The state’s $65 million commitment to this project reflects the vital role UofL and the Speed School play in building a stronger, more competitive commonwealth. Louisville has long been the economic engine of Kentucky, and the Speed School is one of its most powerful engines of opportunity and growth.”

In addition to the state’s financial support, UofL has secured nearly $10 million in philanthropic commitments to name spaces within the building. These investments from alumni, industry partners and friends of the university underscore the community’s belief in Speed School’s mission and its impact on Kentucky’s future workforce.

Across sectors that include robotics, artificial intelligence, sustainable energy, additive manufacturing and cybersecurity, the Student Success & Research Building will be equipped with cutting-edge technology to enhance student learning and engineering research. Additionally, the building will be home to student support services that include academic counseling, tutoring, co-op coordination and admissions.

“This building represents opportunity. It is a place where late-night study sessions turn into breakthrough ideas, where classmates become teammates or even lifelong friends, and where we can learn the skills that prepare us to solve real-world challenges,” said Speed School Student Council President Kayla Lancaster. “It gives us the places to work, the tools to build and the support to thrive.”

The building’s opening coincides with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Speed School’s founding.

“The Student Success & Research Building is the perfect way to celebrate Speed School’s Centennial,” said Dean Emmanuel Collins. “It also represents Speed School’s commitment to the next 100 years of engineering excellence and innovation.”

By Michael Phillips

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See photos from the Sept. 4 press conference on .

For more information on the broader impact of the new Student Success & Research Building on the UofL community, visit the .

For more photos of the Student Success & Research Building, see , or view and download or a of the building construction.

Mike Materna and Chuck Denk of UofL’s Department for Planning, Design and Construction, recently released an update to campus staff on the progress of the building, slated to open in July 2018.

The first new health care delivery facility constructed in the Louisville Medical Center in nearly a decade, the Novak Center for Children’s Health is a 176,000-square-foot building that will be home to the general, specialty and subspecialty pediatrics programs at UofL. This includes faculty physicians from UofL’s as well as other departments throughout the UofL School of Medicine, including neurology, oncology-hematology, cardiology, surgery, ophthalmology and more. Faculty physicians at UofL practice with .

The outpatient services of the Wendy Novak Diabetes Center, currently housed in the Children’s Hospital Foundation Building, will move to the facility. Norton Children’s Hospital also will provide care within the new building, including infusion and laboratory services.

Currently, the structure has many interior walls and floors in place, and finishes such as wall tiles and flooring are being laid. Electrical wiring is being installed, and interior painting is underway. A pedway bridge, linking the new building to the existing UofL Physicians Outpatient Center and the Chestnut Street Garage, is now partially enclosed and is being finished out as well. Messer is the construction manager for the project.

“We have made a lot of progress,” Materna said. “Just one year ago we were literally still ‘playing in the sand,’ as I called it, working on digging out the basement and the steam tunnel integration.

“We have hundreds of people working on this site every day no matter what the weather is. They have done a great job to get us to where we are now.”

Approximately 500 employees, residents and students will inhabit the building, and UofL officials expect nearly 120,000 patient visits per year in the new facility.

“We are providing a new medical home for our pediatric patients and their caregivers,” said Gerard Rabalais, MD, acting CEO of UofL Physicians. “It is a home where we are bringing together nearly all of the services we provide to children in an outpatient setting with a true multidisciplinary approach.”

The Novak Center for Children’s Health is named in recognition of the outstanding support provided by David Novak, his family and the Lift-A-Life Foundation. Novak retired as chairman of Yum! Brands in 2000.

“David Novak and his family are helping us build the future of pediatric health care here in Louisville,” said Charles Woods, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics and UofL Physicians-Pediatrics. “With their support, we will transform how we deliver care, with health care teams located in one space so they can meet simultaneously with patients and their families and avoid unnecessary inconvenience and delays.”

The Novak Center for Children’s Health is located on South Preston Street between East Chestnut and Muhammad Ali Boulevard.