Harris-Stowe State University Breaks Ground on Flexible STEM Center
A rendering depicts Harris-Stowe State University’s new $62 million STEM Center, designed to provide flexible laboratories, research spaces, classrooms, and collaborative environments for STEM education and workforce development. Image: Courtesy of LJC Design & Engineering
Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, MO, is expanding its commitment to STEM education with a new $62 million STEM Center that will provide modern laboratories, research space, classrooms, collaboration areas, and community-focused amenities. The project, which broke ground in early 2026, represents the largest capital project in the university’s history and is intended to strengthen the institution’s ability to prepare students for evolving science and technology careers.
Located at the corner of Compton and Laclede Avenues, the new building will serve as a hub for learning, research, workforce development, and collaboration. Designed by LJC Design & Engineering with laboratory planning by HERA Laboratory Planners, the facility is being developed around a central goal: creating a STEM environment that can support both current academic programs and disciplines that may emerge in the future.
The project builds on Harris-Stowe’s position as St. Louis’ only historically Black university (HBCU) and one of the oldest institutions of higher education west of the Mississippi. According to the project team, the university views the building not only as an academic facility but also as a strategic investment in regional workforce development, industry partnerships, and economic growth.
Designing for a broad range of STEM programs
The new STEM Center is designed to accommodate a broad range of academic and research programs, with flexible laboratory configurations and infrastructure planned to support evolving equipment and future needs. Image: Courtesy of LJC Design & Engineering
Planning the building required the design team and university stakeholders to address a wide range of academic and research needs. Existing programs include biology, mathematics, and sustainability and urban ecology, while the university is developing programs in data sciences, forensic chemistry, and agricultural sciences and technologies.
The building also needed to anticipate multidisciplinary research and teaching, artificial intelligence, geospatial sciences and technologies, workforce development initiatives, community engagement, and future programs that have not yet been defined.
“Designing a STEM building is always a challenge. The more types/areas/programs of STEM in a given building, the more complications in making the building user-friendly for all occupants,” says Harvey R. Fields, Jr., PhD, founding dean of Harris-Stowe’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and assistant professor of chemistry.
That broad programming strategy influenced how laboratories and support spaces were organized. Teaching laboratories were planned around the disciplines they would serve and their anticipated student capacities, while research spaces were developed in a mix of small, medium, and large laboratory configurations.
Equipment and infrastructure requirements were also considered early in the planning process. For example, utilities for a future autoclave/sterilizer helped drive the design of one preparation laboratory.
Prioritizing flexibility
Flexible research laboratories will feature movable tables, adaptable infrastructure, and ceiling service panels designed to accommodate changing equipment, technologies, and research needs. Image: Courtesy of LJC Design & Engineering
Rather than creating highly specialized spaces that could become obsolete as programs change, the project team emphasized adaptable laboratory environments.
“We designed especially the research labs to be flexible, with moveable tables in the center of the labs,” says Cy Henningsen, senior associate, laboratory subject matter expert and team manager at HERA Laboratory Planners. “They can be rearranged as needed, and a table or tables can be removed as needed—for example, to make space for large floor equipment.”
Infrastructure was similarly planned with future changes in mind. Electrical power and laboratory gases will be delivered through ceiling service panels, with space reserved for future utilities and additional electrical receptacles.
According to Henningsen, workforce expectations also challenged conventional approaches to academic laboratory planning. The project emphasized modular infrastructure, reconfigurable furnishings, accessible utilities, and environments that can adapt to changing technologies and curricula.
The approach reflects a broader challenge facing higher education STEM facilities: creating laboratories that are specific enough to support today's teaching and research while remaining flexible enough to accommodate tomorrow's needs.
Engaging users throughout the process
3D renderings, virtual walkthroughs, physical models, and material samples helped university stakeholders visualize the STEM Center and provide feedback throughout the design process. Image: Courtesy of LJC Design & Engineering
Faculty, students, and university leadership remained involved as the project progressed toward construction. Their input influenced elements ranging from the building’s relationship to the historic campus quad to the identity and materiality of individual spaces.
For the design team, visualization became an important tool for helping stakeholders understand and evaluate the proposed facility.
“One of the most effective tools was simply helping stakeholders visualize the project,” says Amy Luchun, AIA, LEEP AP, principal at LJC Design & Engineering. “We used 3D renderings, virtual walkthroughs and even a physical model with actual material samples so people could better understand the spaces.”
The team also used benchmarking visits, faculty design meetings, walkthroughs of existing laboratories, and design status meetings to address differences in experience and expectations between university stakeholders and the project team.
The engagement process was particularly important because many university stakeholders may only participate in a major facility project once or twice during their careers. Luchun said communication and transparency helped establish trust while allowing the project team to keep the original vision intact as construction began.
Connecting STEM education to campus and community
The STEM Center’s transparent circulation core, collaboration areas, and indoor and outdoor gathering spaces are designed to connect disciplines, strengthen campus connections, and foster community. Image: Courtesy of LJC Design & Engineering
The building’s design extends beyond laboratories and classrooms. A transparent circulation core will place learning and activity on display while creating connections between disciplines. Collaboration areas, student amenities, and gathering spaces are intended to encourage interaction and community.
The facility will also complete the southwest edge of the university’s campus quadrangle and create a new gateway between Harris-Stowe and Midtown St. Louis. Indoor and outdoor gathering areas are designed to strengthen connections to the campus and surrounding neighborhood, while site planning anticipates future campus growth and pedestrian connections, including alignment with the future Brickline Greenway.
For Fields, the project represents an opportunity to establish a new academic identity for STEM at Harris-Stowe.
“The College of STEM provides multiple accessible pathways for students to be exposed to, explore, prepare for, and pursue STEM degrees,” he says.
As construction moves forward, the project demonstrates how a higher education STEM facility can be planned around more than square footage and specialized equipment. By combining flexible laboratory infrastructure, user engagement, workforce considerations, and spaces designed to foster collaboration, Harris-Stowe’s new STEM Center is intended to provide a foundation for programs and research that can evolve with the university and the broader STEM workforce.
