In this facilities update, we will highlight our major projects that are both nearing completion and recently completed but will not discuss all ongoing construction or renovation projects.

The Heersink Space Committee oversees school space and facilities, managing requests, and implementing policies to optimize usage. The committee is excited to share updates on the following projects:

Altec Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences

The Altec Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences building is on track to be completed in May 2025, with furniture installations and electrical inspections nearing completion. The building will house a number of departments and research units and UAB Medicine and Heersink SOM leadership.

This construction includes the new Genomics Park, an outdoor area designed to bring more green space to the medical district of campus. A concrete hardscape is currently being installed, and construction on this park is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025.

The building will also feature new a centrally managed conference center. More information on reserving and using these spaces will be available soon.

McCallum Basic Health Sciences

Work on the McCallum Basic Health Sciences Building was completed earlier this month. The newly revitalized building has been under renovation since 2018 and includes updated wet labs for UAB researchers. These wet labs house PIs from several departments, such as Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology; Medicine; Otolaryngology; Urology; and many more.

The building boasts a spacious and inviting new lobby, featuring a living green wall. The renovation team also addressed building pressurization, installed new windows, updated lab exhaust controls, and deployed various other energy-saving initiatives.

“It’s much more than an aesthetic improvement,” says Amanda Hanninen, facility manager in the Heersink School of Medicine. “It is a major upgrade to not only the building but the School of Medicine and the campus as a whole.”