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By Fay Harvey

BATON ROUGE, LA—Louisiana’s flagship university is getting a big building for an even bigger program.������

Planned for construction on Louisiana State University’s South Stadium Drive, across from the athletic department’s iconic Tiger Stadium, the new $107 million Construction & Advanced Manufacturing building will serve one of the top construction programs in the nation: LSU’s Bert S. Turner Department of Construction Management. The new building will be a significant upgrade from the program’s current location at Patrick F. Taylor Hall, offering enhanced laboratories for construction studies, additional faculty space, and increased capacity for advanced machinery and manufacturing. The new building is a central part of LSU’s broader initiative to advance construction education and research, with the ultimate aim of establishing a dedicated School of Construction. The project is essential to expanding LSU’s engineering corridor and reinforcing Louisiana’s leadership in industrial construction and manufacturing. With the industry projected to grow by 14.3% by 2030, and the Gulf Coast facing a staggering $60-80 billion backlog in construction, this addition is crucial for the region’s workforce and economic future, preparing students to meet the industry’s evolving demands. ��

“LSU is poised to be the best construction management and engineering science program in the United States, and a top global leader,” former LSU President William F. Tate IV said at the University’s statewide bus tour debuting the new project. “Improved campus infrastructure provides a platform to seize that opportunity. This is a booming industry in Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast. Many of our alumni are now leading companies that are shaping the future of the construction industry. Their generosity and shared vision have created the momentum that will yield a generational impact for Louisiana, Louisiana-based companies, and Louisiana-educated talent.”�� ��

When completed, the new building will also improve cross-campus and interdisciplinary collaboration by co-locating advanced manufacturing spaces spanning multiple disciplines. State-of-the-art facilities for innovative materials production will be housed in the new building as well as three-dimensional printing rooms and new construction spaces incorporating the latest innovations in artificial intelligence and integrated sensing.��

“We are extremely fortunate that we have such a large concentration of construction companies located right here in Baton Rouge,” said Vicki Colvin said, dean of the LSU College of Engineering. “In recent years this sector has been the single largest employer of LSU engineers, including mechanical and electrical engineers.”��

Colvin added that the new building will catalyze industry-university collaborations that produce practical innovations that lead to faster, less expensive and safer building practices.��

LSU hopes to raise $76 million in philanthropic donations for the project by spring 2026, and has already received $32 million in capital outlay funds from the State of Louisiana. In addition, $36.3 million has been received from donors to date, including a $15 million leadership gift from Art Favre, founder of Performance Contractors and a graduate of the first LSU construction management class in 1972, and a $7.5 million investment from construction company MMR, owned by LSU alumnus Pepper Rutland.��

Construction is on track with that of LSU’s new Library Learning Commons, which will transform the campus in similar ways in terms of opportunity and research. Both projects align with LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda, an initiative committing to creating solutions and achieving excellence in research, agriculture, biomedical, coastal, defensive and energy efforts.��