Vanderbilt University is gearing up to break ground this summer on a major science tower at the heart of its Nashville campus, setting the stage for a substantial remake of the university’s core. The plan calls for a roughly 200,000-square-foot interdisciplinary building that will bring together the College of Arts and Science, the School of Engineering and the School of Basic Sciences, with completion targeted for 2028. The project will take the place of the mid-century Stevenson Center 6 and is set to reshape the block between Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the university’s original campus.
As reported by Nashville Post, Vanderbilt has tapped DLR Group to handle architecture, engineering, interior design and laboratory planning for the new tower. DLR Group’s project materials list Vanderbilt among the firm’s higher education work and spotlight its experience in trans-institutional campus planning. The outlet’s reporting describes the replacement building as a 10-story, roughly 150-foot tower with a transparent glazed facade, signaling a very different look from the structure it will replace.
Design and timeline
On its facilities site, Vanderbilt lists Stevenson Center 6 as a 200,000-plus-square-foot project, with work beginning in “Summer 2025” and a target completion date of “Summer 2028.” Vanderbilt Facilities also names J.E. Dunn as the construction manager and Cathy Bartlett as the project manager overseeing the effort.
What it replaces
The mid-century Stevenson Center 6 - one of eight buildings in the Stevenson complex that went up in the 1960s - has long housed the physics and astronomy department along with earth and environmental sciences labs, and was slated for demolition in 2025, according to student reporting. The Vanderbilt Hustler detailed faculty meeting minutes and university communications that laid out the decision to replace the building outright rather than attempt a renovation.
Permits and neighborhood impacts
Municipal records show Metro has approved an ordinance to abandon and replace water mains and relocate hydrant assemblies at 2415 Vanderbilt Place to make room for the project, a clear sign that behind-the-scenes infrastructure work is already in motion. Metropolitan Government records spell out the easement terms and main-replacement work required for construction, marking a key box checked before any vertical building can begin.
Next steps
With DLR Group leading design work and city approvals in hand, the project team is expected to move into detailed permitting, final contractor scheduling and community outreach as the schedule firms up. DLR Group highlights similar science and technology facilities in its portfolio, along with trans-institutional planning experience that Vanderbilt is leaning on as it reshapes this high-profile slice of campus.
