By Lindsey CoulterÌý

Higher education construction is entering a period defined by financial pressure, shifting enrollment patterns and rising expectations around sustainability and student experience. Institutions are reevaluating how capital projects support long-term value,ÌýflexibilityÌýand campus identity, while navigating cost volatility and complex stakeholder demands. In this environment, the owner’sÌýrepresentativeÌýperspective is increasingly critical to project success.ÌýÌý

George Swetz,ÌýExecutive Vice President and General ManagerÌýof Skanska Integrated Solutions,Ìýhas served in this critical role across multiple high-profile projects andÌýis well versed inÌýguiding institutions through these challenges.ÌýSwetzÌýbrings more than four decades of experience across program management,ÌýconstructionÌýand real estate to higher education projects, and spoke with ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æÒ•îl (SCN)ÌýaboutÌýhow colleges and universities are prioritizing investments, managingÌýriskÌýand aligning capital projects with institutional goals. His perspective as an owner’s representative offers a behind-the-scenes view of decision-making, emphasizing long-term value, stakeholderÌýalignmentÌýand financial stewardship.Ìý

SCN:ÌýWhich types of projects are receiving the most investment today, and why?Ìý

Swetz:ÌýSome of the investments we see today are in projects that support student wellness, institutionalÌýidentityÌýand campus vitality. Facilities like the Brimmer and May School New Recreation & Wellness Center in Newton, Mass., as well as the College of the Holy Cross Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex reflect a growing emphasis on athletics, health, and student wellbeing as core components of the academic experience.ÌýÌý

Cultural and academic investments such as the Williams College Museum of Art haveÌýdemonstratedÌýhow institutions are also reinvesting in assets that support teaching, community engagement, and donor interest. In each case, these projects are about strengthening the full campus, not just adding space. AsÌýowner’sÌýreps, Skanska helps institutions prioritize investments that align their mission, studentÌýimpactÌýand long-term financial stewardship.Ìý

SCN:ÌýHow are enrollment trends and evolving academic programs influencing capital planning decisions?Ìý

Swetz:ÌýFluctuating enrollment and evolving academic priorities are pushing institutions to be more strategic in capital planning. This is where Skanska gets to help translate institutional priorities into capital plans thatÌýremainÌýresilient as students’ needs and programming evolve. Owners are increasingly tapping us to better understand how they can focus on buildings that can serve multiple functions and adapt over time rather than highly specialized,Ìýsingle useÌýspaces. At the College of the Holy Cross Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex, the integration of practice facilities, sports medicine, strengthÌýtrainingÌýand shared meeting spaces reflects that need for multifunctional programming. Similarly, the Williams College Museum of Art supports academic instruction,ÌýresearchÌýand public engagement within one flexible cultural facility.ÌýÌý

SCN:ÌýHow are institutions structuring partnerships to better manage risk and control costs?Ìý

Swetz:ÌýInstitutions are placing greater emphasis on stakeholder engagement. Including faculty, athletics leadership, facilities teams, and administration has become essential to managing the project, but also its reputation.ÌýOwner’s representativesÌýact as the central liaison, ensuring feedback is translated into clear project direction and risks are addressed early. This approach helps ownersÌýmaintainÌýcontrol while avoiding costly changes or reputational damage.ÌýÌý

SCN:ÌýWith continued cost volatility in materials and labor, what strategies are helping institutionsÌýmaintainÌýproject budgets?Ìý

Swetz:ÌýEarly planning and proactive cost management are critical in today’s uncertain market.ÌýOwner’sÌýrepsÌýrelyÌýheavily on early cost modeling and tracking during preconstruction. DisciplinedÌýchangeÌýmanagement with the general contractor is also key to protecting budgets. The goal is not just to stay on budget today but also to avoid decisions that create financial strain on the customer.ÌýÌý

SCN:ÌýWhere are you finding opportunities to achieve long-term operational savings?Ìý

Swetz:ÌýLong-term operational savings are often realized through early design decisions. Investments in efficient mechanical systems, durable materials and programs that are theÌýappropriate sizeÌýcan significantly reduce lifecycle costs. The Brimmer and May Recreation & Wellness Center reflects how facilities that are focused on wellness can also be designed for high performance and long-term efficiency. At the Williams College Museum of Art, Skanska is embedding sustainability through Passive House design principles andÌýadditionalÌýstrategies that track toward Living Building Challenge certification, settingÌýa strong foundationÌýfor long-term energy and operational savings. We have a team of dedicated sustainability experts who are supporting this and can help institutions evaluate these types of decisions through a lifecycle lens, not just cost.Ìý

SCN:ÌýHow are life-cycle cost analyses influencing material selection and long-term campus planning?Ìý

Swetz:ÌýLifecycle cost analysis is increasingly central to how institutions evaluate materials and overall projects. OwnersÌýare weighingÌýlong term maintenance and energy performance alongsideÌýinitialÌýconstruction costs. At the Williams College Museum of Art, this perspectiveÌýimpactsÌýdecisions around architectural quality and operational efficiency. At the College of the Holy Cross Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex, life-cycle evaluation is especially important given the intensity of use in athletics and training spaces.Ìý

Read more in the Higher Education issue of ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æÒ•îl.

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Upadhyay previously served as vice president and project executive for the firm’s USA Building business unit. In this elevated role, he will be responsible for managing and advancing the growth of Skanska’s Metro operations in healthcare, higher education, and life sciences through sourcing and winning new projects as well as overseeing the execution of work currently underway.

He has led the execution and management of several high-profile projects for the firm, including the $15 million renovation at Columbia University’s Manhattanville campus as well as myriad renovation and infrastructure projects for a major healthcare provider in New York.

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The university’s new Manhattanville campus will encompass 6.8 billion square feet and recently earned LEED Platinum in the Neighborhood Development (ND) category. The project is being completed in several phases, with the entire campus completed in the next 30 years. The first phase of construction is slated for completion in 2016 and will include the .

In 2007 the project was estimated to cost $6 billion and has received extremely generous donations from Columbia alumni. The most recent donation comes from Ronald O. Perelman, chairman and CEO of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc. and a member of the university’s Board of Overseers. His $100 million donation is to the new Columbia Business School, which will be located on the Manhattanville campus. His large donation positions him in the category of largest donation in school history, along with the previous single donation of $100 million back in 1969 by Columbia-alum Henry R. Kravis.

The donation will be used to help fund construction of the new business school, and one of the two buildings at the new school will be named the Ronald O. Perelman Center for Business Innovation.

“Ronald O. Perelman has long valued and supported business education and innovation in New York City,” said Columbia Business School Dean Glenn Hubbard, in a statement. “We are extremely grateful for his vision and generosity, and this gift will allow us to reach a new phase in the school’s expansion into Manhattanville. We are building more than facilities: we are enabling the greatest business minds of our time to work together in a forward-looking, collaborative space that will spur the ideas that will shape business for decades to come.”

The business school, designed by New York architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, will span more than 450,000 square feet. The building will be equipped with the most up-to-date and state-of-the-art technology, according to Hubbard.

“Columbia Business School has its finger on the pulse of changing nature of business education,” said Perelman in a statement. “The school’s commitment to developing transformative business thinkers is unparalleled, and I am pleased to pledge this gift to help them prepare the next generation of business leaders.”

Along with Perelman’s donation to the business school, Columbia University Trustee Gerry Lenfest has pledged $30 million to support the construction of a multi-arts venue at the Manhattanville campus. Lenfest’s gift was announced in November 2012 and is the largest gift ever made for the arts at Columbia. In his honor, the new facility will be named the Lenfest Center for the Arts.

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