flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Higher education construction costs for 2023

Higher Education

Higher education construction costs for 2023

Fresh data from Gordian breaks down the average cost per square foot for a two-story college classroom building across 10 U.S. cities.


By Gordian  | April 13, 2023
Higher education construction costs for 2023
Photo: Pixabay

Colleges and universities manage more than 6 billion square feet of campus space in 210,000 buildings nationwide, with a replacement value of $2 trillion and a backlog of urgent capital renewal needs exceeding $112 billion.

The state of campus facilities will define the financial future of higher ed institutions more than any other single factor. Data collected from a thorough assessment of campus conditions should be used to prioritize building portfolio needs and establish a strategic framework for linking today’s investment realities with future campus aspirations.

Readying campus facilities for future students can take the form of renovations, updates or wholesale replacement, with the driver of that decision based in the alignment of available resources with institutional programmatic priorities. 

As North America’s leading construction cost database, Gordian’s RSMeans Data has been synonymous with reliability since the 1940s, so you can trust it when budgeting for projects that will transform your campus for students, alumni, professors and staff.

With localized square-foot costs on over 100 building models, Gordian’s RSMeans Data allows architects, engineers and other preconstruction professionals to quickly and accurately create conceptual estimates for future builds. This table shows the most recent costs per square foot for two-story college classrooms in select cities, with sustainable, “green” building considerations. 

Visit rsmeans.com/bdandc for more information about Gordian’s RSMeans Data.

Cost per Square Foot for Two-Story College Classrooms with Green Building Considerations

City

2020

2021

2022

2023

National Average

$220.32

$221.38

$229.47

$243.54

Athens, GA

$178.55

$175.75

$182.06

$188.76

Austin, TX

$176.56

$179.01

$183.94

$196.80

Tuscaloosa, AL

$186.09

$186.01

$194.43

$207.45

Tempe, AR

$188.93

$188.88

$194.50

$207.94

Charlottesville, VA

$185.32

$190.71

$196.39

$201.75

Boulder, CO

$195.82

$193.08

$201.54

$210.98

Bloomington, IN

$199.80

$199.26

$206.05

$216.72

Ann Arbor, MI

$216.59

$219.54

$224.73

$235.17

Madison, WI

$216.75

$224.27

$227.99

$242.15

Berkeley, CA

$280.11

$283.40

$287.92

$303.11

Please note: Square foot models are used for planning and budgeting and are not meant for detailed estimates.

 

Related Stories

| Mar 15, 2013

Singapore R&D campus takes top honor in Lab of Year competition

Singapore CREATE R&D campus takes top honor in Lab of Year competition, sponsored by R&D Magazine.

| Mar 14, 2013

25 cities with the most Energy Star certified buildings

Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Chicago top EPA's list of the U.S. cities with the greatest number of Energy Star certified buildings in 2012.

| Mar 14, 2013

How to win more work from community colleges

The nation’s thousand-plus community college districts can be a steady source of income for your Building Team—provided you appreciate the special needs of this important sector of the higher education market.

| Feb 26, 2013

Tax incentive database for reflective roofs available

The Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association (RCMA) and the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) created a database of current information on rebates and tax credits for installing reflective roofs.

| Feb 17, 2013

Suffolk University’s $62 million academic building gets the go-ahead

The Boston Redevelopment Authority board yesterday unanimously approved Suffolk University’s plans to move forward with a new campus building at 20 Somerset St. that will feature general-use and science classrooms, a light-filled cafeteria/function space, and indoor and outdoor lounging areas.

| Feb 15, 2013

Could the student housing boom lead to a bubble?

Student housing has been one of the bright spots in the multifamily construction sector in recent years. But experts say there should be cause for concern for oversupply in the market.

| Feb 8, 2013

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s new wing voted Boston’s 'most beautiful new building'

Bostonians voted the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's new wing the People's Choice Award winner for 2012, honoring the project as the city's "most beautiful new building" for the calendar year. The new wing, designed by Renzo Piano and Stantec, beat out three other projects on the short list.

| Feb 6, 2013

George W. Bush Presidential Center among award-winning roofing projects honored by Sika Sarnafil

Winners of the 2012 Contractor Project of the Year Competition were announced this week by Sika Sarnafil. The annual competition highlights excellence in roofing installation. Roofing contractors are judged based on project complexity, design uniqueness, craftsmanship, and creative problem solving.

| Feb 5, 2013

8 eye-popping wood building projects

From 100-foot roof spans to novel reclaimed wood installations, the winners of the 2013 National Wood Design Awards push the envelope in wood design.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




Student Housing

The University of Michigan addresses a decades-long student housing shortage with a new housing-dining facility

The University of Michigan has faced a decades-long shortage of on-campus student housing. In a couple of years, the situation should significantly improve with the addition of a new residential community on Central Campus in Ann Arbor, Mich. The University of Michigan has engaged American Campus Communities in a public-private partnership to lead the development of the environmentally sustainable living-learning student community.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021