Under Construction: Top Facility Projects of April 2025

Facilities Management Advisor’s “Under Construction” series highlights some of the latest, most interesting facility project announcements every month.

NFL Team’s Homecoming

Who doesn’t love a good homecoming story? The NFL’s Washington Commanders are set to return to the nation’s capital after signing a deal with the Washington, D.C., government to build a new stadium at the site of the old RFK Stadium—which the football team, previously named the Washington Redskins, had called their home for over three decades. The Commanders plan to relocate to D.C. from Maryland’s Northwest Stadium as part of a nearly $4 billion public-private project to revitalize the RFK campus.

Organizations: Washington Commanders and D.C. government
Location: Washington, D.C.
Type of project: New build
Size: 65,000-seat stadium
Estimated cost: Nearly $4 billion
Status: Announced April 28
Expected completion: 2030

Interesting tidbit: Under the terms of the deal, the Commanders will drive the investment of at least $2.7 billion to build a stadium and related improvements, making this the single largest private investment in D.C.’s history. The approximately 65,000-seat stadium will have a roof, allowing it to host events year-round, and subject to approvals, it’s expected to open in 2030. In addition to building the stadium, the Commanders will be responsible for activating and developing multiple parcels of land around the facility with restaurants, entertainment venues, hotels, housing, green space, and more. The D.C. government is investing about $1.1 billion in the revitalization project.

Quote: Josh Harris, managing partner of the Washington Commanders, said, “RFK Stadium holds a legendary place in our history—it’s where the team dominated the NFL, capturing three Super Bowls and creating unforgettable memories for fans. Now, we have the opportunity to honor that legacy by building a new world-class stadium—one that is also a once-in-a-generation catalyst for uplifting and transforming our region.”

More details are available here.

Green Building for Green Learning

Cal Poly Humboldt, a public polytechnic university in California, has broken ground on its new Energy Research + Sustainability Center (ER+SC)—a hub dedicated to cutting-edge research in sustainability and cultivating the next generation of environmental leaders. The $28 million facility will bring together several departments and centers on campus, including the Energy Systems Engineering undergraduate program, Office of Sustainability, and Schatz Energy Research Center.

Organization: Cal Poly Humboldt
Location: Arcata, Calif.
Type of project: New build
Size: 20,000 square feet
Estimated cost: $28 million
Design-build team: Smith Group and Swinerton Builders
Status: Ground broken on April 14
Expected completion: Early 2027

Interesting tidbit: The facility, itself, will be sustainable and designed to meet LEED Gold green building certification standards. The all-electric, high-efficiency building will include a mass timber construction and advanced heat-pump-based climate control systems. Equipped with specialized tech for students and faculty, the ER+SC will also feature a full energy grid testing yard and serve as a center for research on microgrid technology, encompassing battery storage and solar and wind generation.

Quote: Mike Fisher, the school’s acting VP for administration and finance, said, “Sustainability is integrated in all corners of our campus. This facility will bring together students, faculty, and staff who are working together to make our world a more environmentally and socially just place.”

More details are available here.

$1.2B Chobani Plant

Chobani has broken ground on a $1.2 billion, 1.4 million square-foot production facility in Rome, N.Y. This represents the third U.S. dairy processing plant for the major yogurt maker, which opened its first U.S. factory in New York in 2005 and just announced a half-billion-dollar expansion in Idaho in March. Chobani’s latest facility will be built on a 150-acre stretch of land at the state-backed Griffiss Business and Technology Park, once home to an Air Force base.

Organization: Chobani
Location: Rome, N.Y.
Type of project: New build
Size: 1.4 million square feet
Estimated cost: $1.2 billion
Status: Ground broken April 22
Expected completion: N/A

Interesting tidbit: The Rome facility is expected to create over 1,000 jobs, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul touted it as the “largest natural food manufacturing investment in American history.” With capacity to produce over 1 billion pounds of dairy products per year, the new plant will house up to 28 production lines designed to process about 12 million pounds of milk per day, helping boost the state’s dairy industry.

Quote: Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Choban, said, “When you invest in people, in local communities, you’re not just building a business—you’re building a future.”

More details are available here.

Princeton Art Museum

The Princeton University Art Museum is slated to open its highly anticipated new building to the public in October following a multiyear design and construction process first announced in 2018. The 146,000-square-foot facility effectively doubles the museum’s spaces for art, teaching, and educational programming, with a host of updated visitor amenities. Sitting at the heart of Princeton University’s historic campus, the three-level building consists of nine interlocking pavilions.

Organization: Princeton University Art Museum
Location: Princeton, N.J.
Type of project: New build
Size: 146,000 square feet
Estimated cost: N/A
Design team: Adjaye Associates and Cooper Robertson
Status: Construction began summer 2021
Expected completion: Opening October 2025

Interesting tidbit: With a collecting history that extends back to 1755, the Princeton organization is one of the leading university art museums in the country, featuring collections that have grown to include more than 117,000 pieces from around the globe. The new facility’s exterior has alternating rough and polished stone surfaces, organic materials selected to complement the surrounding campus buildings. It also welcomes visitors with entrances on every side—a design that strives to be “all fronts and no backs.”

Quote: Juliana Ochs Dweck, the museum’s chief curator, noted, “In the new building, visitors can directly experience our collections, whether walking above ancient mosaics recessed in the floor, ascending the Grand Stairs across from a medieval Mallorcan stairway, or encountering a dialogue between light-based works spanning five hundred years.”

More details are available here.

Honorable Mentions

• University Decarbonization Project
• Ford-Backed Solar Park
• Buffalo Bills Stadium Milestone
• Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
• ADA Compliance for High School

Do you have a major project announcement you’d like considered for the “Under Construction” series? Please contact Editor Joe Bebon at [email protected].

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