Under Construction: Top Facility Projects of May 2025

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

More Mental Health Support

May was Mental Health Awareness Month, a campaign to raise awareness about mental health, reduce stigma, and promote support for those affected by mental illness. Coinciding with the annual observance, Prisma Health leaders and state officials broke ground on a new behavioral health hospital to expand access to psychiatric services in South Carolina’s Upstate region. Made possible by $100 million in state funds, the 134,621-square-foot facility will nearly double inpatient capacity to 112 beds by replacing Prisma’s Marshall I. Pickens Hospital, built in 1969.

Organization: Prisma Health
Location: Easley, S.C.
Type of project: New build
Size: 134,621 square feet
Estimated cost: $138 million
Status: Ground broken May 19
Expected completion: 2027

Interesting tidbit: The need for inpatient psychiatric treatment has climbed in South Carolina’s Upstate region in recent years, with the combined admission rates from Pickens, Oconee, and Greenville counties jumping by nearly 50%. Last year, more than 1,000 behavioral health patients, including children as young as six, were transported to facilities as far as the coast because there weren’t enough licensed psychiatric beds in the Upstate. According to Prisma, the new hospital will significantly reduce the need for distant transfers and enable patients to stay closer to their families and crucial support networks.

Quote: Gov. Henry McMaster said, “By increasing access to inpatient services for both children and adults, we are addressing one of our most pressing healthcare challenges.”

More details are available here.

U.S. Open Stadium Overhaul

Game, set, match! Representing the “largest single investment” in U.S. Open history, the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) will upgrade Arthur Ashe Stadium as part of an $800 million project to reimagine the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the famous sports tournament. The three-phase project, which also includes building a $250 million Player Performance Center, is slated for completion by the 2027 U.S. Open, without interrupting play or fan access for the 2025-26 events.

Organization: USTA
Location: New York City
Type of project: New build
Size: N/A
Estimated cost: $800 million
Design team: ROSSETTI, Daniel Libeskind, and Garrett Singer
Status: Announced May 19
Expected completion: Prior to 2027 U.S. Open

Interesting tidbit: Highlights of the Arthur Ashe Stadium overhaul include a “visually striking” Grand Entrance (pictured); a 40% increase to the promenade-level concourse; revamped retail, food, and beverage spaces; stadium-wide increased access to restrooms; more escalators and elevators; and a 2,000-seat expansion of the courtside-level bowl. Meanwhile, the two-story Player Performance Center will offer athletes a host of new performance and relaxation spaces.

Quote: Lew Sherr, CEO and executive director of the USTA, said, “This project enables us to maintain the greatest stage in tennis—Arthur Ashe Stadium—which was constructed more than 25 years ago, and modernize it in a way that will set it up for the next 25 years.”

More details are available here.

High School Robotics Facility

No matter your age, odds are you’ll always think robots are pretty cool. So, imagine being able to learn about and work with the futuristic machines as a high school student! In California, Cupertino High School is establishing a state-of-the-art, purpose-built Robotics Facility that will serve students from all five schools in the Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD). Replacing makeshift classrooms and portable buildings, the new 14,500 square-foot facility will feature a workshop, classroom, field space, teamwork areas, spectator seating, and more.

Organization: FUHSD/Cupertino High School
Location: Cupertino, Calif.
Type of project: New build
Size: 14,500 square feet
Estimated cost: N/A
Design-build team: Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA), Landmark Construction, and Blach Construction
Status: Ground broken May 14
Expected completion: Fall 2026

Interesting tidbit: The facility is designed to reflect the innovative nature of Silicon Valley and tailored to meet the robotics program’s specialized needs. For example, high ceilings will accommodate the potential use of aerial drones, and the flooring will be treated with electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection to prevent harmful static buildup between sensitive electronics and robots. Furthermore, Wi-Fi specifications have been optimized to minimize interference with robotic control systems, ensuring seamless operation without disrupting broader campus connectivity.

Quote: “We are thrilled to create a dedicated space for our award-winning robotics teams, who consistently demonstrate exceptional creativity and skill,” said FUHSD Superintendent Graham Clark. “This new facility will ignite our robotics programs, fostering greater collaboration and further innovation.”

More details are available here.

State’s First Net-Zero Fire Station

The City of Ann Arbor is building Michigan’s first net-zero fire station. The facility will replace a station that was built in 1966 and has outlived its expected lifespan, grappling with near-constant maintenance issues and a failing sanitary sewer discharge. It will further the city’s A2ZERO goal to reach community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030, featuring geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, and other energy efficiency measures.

Organization: City of Ann Arbor
Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.
Type of project: New build
Size: N/A
Estimated cost: N/A
Status: Ground broken May 20
Expected completion: ~14 months

Interesting tidbit: Beyond aligning with the city’s sustainability goals, the new station will also accommodate today’s needs for gender neutrality in terms of showering, bathrooms, and sleeping quarters. In the theme of inclusivity, the station will receive a new name in honor of Ann Arbor’s first female firefighter, Mindy Kerr. Kerr served with the Ann Arbor Fire Department from 1980 until she retired in 2005.

Quote: City Councilmember Travis Radina told the Michigan Daily, “A number of our fire stations were constructed before we had female firefighters on staff. So, as we’re looking to upgrade these facilities, we’re making sure that they’re not just serving the community from a public safety standpoint but they’re also serving the firefighters that are working out of that facility, making sure that our female firefighters have the appropriate facilities.”

More details are available here and here.

Honorable Mentions

• Mass Timber Presidential Library
• GM’s U-Turn on EV Plant Investment
• County’s Green 911 Center
• Baltimore Ravens’ Phase 2 Upgrades
• First On-Campus Football Field

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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