Bentley University is tearing into its biggest academic building, kicking off an $85 million overhaul of the Adamian Academic Center on its Waltham hilltop. Crews are already on site, and the university is eyeing a fall 2027 reopening. The plan takes old-school lecture halls and turns them into immersive tech labs, makerspace and flexible collaboration zones, with a student-run café as the new social hub. It is one of the most visible construction projects along Forest Street and is expected to change how both students and corporate partners move through and use the campus.
What is going inside the new Adamian
When the dust settles, the reworked Adamian will bring several academic hubs together in a single building. Plans call for an AI and immersive-technology lab, a 3D-printing and makerspace, a flexible “Falcon Forum” for presentations and competitions, and a cafeteria operated by students. President E. LaBrent Chrite has described the project as a move toward a “business university for the Innovation Age” and said the renewed center “will stand as a cornerstone of this future state.” According to Bentley University, the new features are part of the school’s broader Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship initiative.
Construction, design and the $85 million price tag
University officials and the project team put the cost at $85 million to update a building that opened in the 1980s and has not had a major overhaul since. Design firm StudioDSK has said demolition work started in March 2025, with the job set to include exterior changes that make better use of the building’s hilltop location. The firm notes the campus project is scheduled to reach substantial completion in time for the start of the fall 2027 semester, according to studioDSK.
Campus life and neighborhood ripple effects
While construction is underway, classes and services tied to Adamian are being shifted elsewhere on campus, and students are being routed around temporary fencing, detours and staging areas near the hilltop site. One student-driven request that did make it into the final design is a staffed café inside the building, which reports indicate will be the first food venue in that part of campus. Coverage has also noted that the project is already on the radar of nearby residents and preservation-minded locals as new renderings and permits circulate, according to the Waltham Times.
Scale and local significance
Administrators describe the Adamian redo as one of Bentley’s largest capital investments and say it may be the most consequential academic project since the university relocated to Waltham in the 1960s. The university argues that consolidating tech-heavy learning spaces in a single, modern building will help tie students more closely to regional employers and startups. The launch drew coverage from the Boston Business Journal, which highlighted both the project’s scale and the institution’s push toward experiential, technology-driven business education.
For now, Adamian is a hard-hat zone, but university materials and renderings preview a very different interior by fall 2027, with cross-disciplinary labs, adaptable classrooms and event areas designed to face the broader public. The plans also call for dedicated corporate partnership space and programs intended to spark student entrepreneurship, as outlined by Bentley University. The school says it will share updates and construction notices on its project page as work moves forward.
