Work is scheduled to begin in September on a new Medical Research Building totaling 55,000 square feet near the Tilman J. Fertitta University of Houston College of Family Medicine. The facility is planned as a multistory structure designed to expand the university’s capacity for applied medical and clinical research activities.
According to reporting from the Houston Business Journal, the project at 5150 Medical Service Drive carries a 2024 project cost of $77.5 million. The building is targeted for completion in the summer of 2028, establishing a multi-year development timeline from the start of construction to anticipated delivery.
The Houston office of SmithGroup is serving as the design firm for the new research facility, bringing architectural and planning responsibilities to the project. Harvey-Cleary has been engaged as the general contractor, overseeing construction and delivery of the building.
The Medical Research Building is being configured to support applied medical and clinical research for the College of Medicine. In addition to serving the college’s core research functions, the facility is expected to provide space that can accommodate collaboration with other colleges, positioning it as a shared resource within the broader university framework.
The project comes at a time when academic medical centers are committing significant capital to expand and upgrade their research campuses. The article notes that these institutions are investing hundreds of millions of dollars over the next several years to enhance research infrastructure and related facilities.
Another large academic medical development cited in the same context is a new School of Public Health building for the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston’s School of Public Health. That project, located in the Texas Medical Center, has a reported price tag of $299 million and is expected to open this fall.
Together, these projects illustrate an active pipeline of medical and research-focused construction within the academic and healthcare sectors. The University of Houston Medical Research Building adds to this trend by introducing a new specialized facility designed to support clinical research activity and cross-college collaboration once it is completed in 2028.
