LSU School of Construction to Prepare Students for In-Demand Careers and Drive Industry Innovation

LSU’s nationally recognized construction management program is vital to Louisiana, where the construction industry is projected to grow 14.3% by 2030, and to the Gulf Coast, which has a construction backlog estimated between $60-$80 billion. The result: a growing demand for skilled construction professionals in Louisiana.

There’s also a need for change. Vicki Colvin, dean of LSU’s College of Engineering, notes that many of the materials, machines, and methods used in the construction industry have remained the same for decades. Colvin sees a field ready for fresh thinking and new approaches, from energy-efficient materials to robotic fabrication to digital twin technology that improves building performance and maintenance long after construction is complete.

“LSU can revolutionize construction,” Colvin said, “and lead at a national level.”

 

 

To address the need for more leaders - and innovation - LSU is creating a new School of Construction. By expanding the pool of construction graduates and fueling research that leads to new companies, products, and jobs, the school will play a key role in the success of Louisiana infrastructure projects and economic development initiatives for decades to come.

On February 6, the Louisiana Board of Regents approved the School of Construction, which will be one of only a handful housed within a College of Engineering in the United States.

LSU Executive Vice President and Chancellor James Dalton said the school will help Louisiana meet its significant construction workforce needs and drive a once-in-a-generation transformation of the construction industry.

“This new school at LSU will transform the university, the state, and the way we build across America,” Dalton said.

The school will be collaborative, involving construction managers, computer scientists, and civil, mechanical, and chemical engineers. Together, they’ll develop and test new construction materials, machines, and methods – from 3D printed buildings to factory robots to cross-laminated timber.

They’ll also create new courses that draw from a variety of disciplines to continuously prepare students for industry needs and emerging opportunities.

Charles Berryman, chair of LSU’s Bert S. Turner Department of Construction Management, said the school will likely engage faculty from the LSU AgCenter, the E. J. Ourso School of Business, and the LSU Energy Institute. Berryman said local, regional, and national business leaders will also be deeply involved in the school’s research and teaching.

“We have remarkable alumni and industry partners,” Berryman said. “This network helped us build our construction management program into one of the most productive in the country, and it will help us build the new School of Construction into one of the most innovative programs in the U.S. We’re ready to build.”

The new school will get a premier new home.

LSU is in the design phase for the Construction & Advanced Manufacturing Building, a 147,000 square-foot facility which will house the School of Construction and related research labs.

LSU will break ground in spring 2027 on the new $107 million building. Located across the street from Tiger Stadium on South Stadium Drive, the building will feature advanced manufacturing facilities, robotics bays, 3D printing and digital fabrication spaces, materials and durability labs, and instrument testbeds for sensing and safety projects.

Leading gifts have been made by Art Favre, founder of Performance Contractors; MMR; Cajun Industries; Lemoine Company; LA Contractors’ Educational Trust Fund via the LSU Construction Industry Advisory Council; S&B Engineers & Constructors; DSLD Homes; Entergy; ISC Constructors; Rene and Kay Joyce; and Harry and Norma Longwell.

LSU already graduates one of the largest cohorts of construction management graduates in the country, and the new school and the new building will allow it to produce even more.

Alumni make a major contribution to Louisiana. Nearly 70% of LSU construction management graduates stay in the state and frequently move directly into full-time roles with state construction firms, contributing to infrastructure projects, commercial development, and public works.

Art Favre, a graduate of LSU’s first construction management class in 1972, made a leadership gift of $15 million for the Construction & Advanced Manufacturing Building and is a major supporter of the new School of Construction.

“Growth and innovation in construction management is a win for LSU, the state, and the industry,” Favre said. “It’s a smart investment in our future.”