Florida Gulf Coast University is moving ahead with a major healthcare education expansion that will significantly increase training capacity for future healthcare professionals in Southwest Florida.

The university broke ground April 15 on Marieb Hall South, a four-story, 158,040-square-foot facility that will become the largest academic building on campus. Construction is set to begin in May, and the building is expected to open for classes in spring 2029.

The project is designed as a shared training environment where students across multiple healthcare disciplines can learn in settings modeled on real clinical spaces. University officials said the expansion will support interprofessional education while helping FGCU enroll and graduate more students to meet ongoing demand for healthcare workers in the region.

Plans for the building include simulated operating rooms, intensive care units, pediatric and obstetric suites, apartment-style therapy training spaces, and an immersive projection environment for disaster response and other complex care scenarios. The facility will also include a maker space for medical device and healthcare innovation work, plus media and recording capabilities tied to simulation and instruction.

In addition to instructional space, Marieb Hall South will house student-facing health and counseling services, along with offices for programs focused on intellectual and developmental disabilities and positive aging. The project’s first phase received $117 million in state funding, while an additional $27 million for the second phase is still moving through the legislative process. FGCU also said the building will benefit from a $22 million grant announced in 2025 by the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation to support advanced educational technology.