Broward College broke ground on Tuesday, Oct. 20, on Building 55, a $46.1 million, 52,000-square-foot STEM and nursing building at its North Campus in Coconut Creek. When it opens in fall 2028, the college says, it will raise the campus's science teaching capacity by about 30 percent.

What is coming down, and what goes up

The new building rises on the site of Buildings 56 and 57, two older classroom buildings that went up in 1974 and 1988 and held social and behavioral sciences, math and science classes. In their place, Building 55 is planned around labs:

  • 10 science laboratories, including three new teaching labs and a dedicated medical laboratory that brings clinical instruction directly into the coursework
  • 4 nursing labs, plus a health assessment room and a nursing classroom
  • An Information Technology Hub with a cybersecurity lab, an artificial intelligence lab and a makerspace

The building was designed by the architecture firm Stratus, formerly known as Zyscovich, and is being built by CORE Construction. The college says the project is paid for through a mix of state appropriations and local support.

Why the North Campus needs the room

The college laid out the demand in numbers. In the 2024 to 2025 academic year, the North Campus Science and Wellness Department ran 249 science course sections, 188 of them for students majoring in STEM fields, and served more than 2,500 students. The new labs are meant to add seats in exactly those courses.

The jobs side of the case is local too. The college points to projections that employment in medical laboratories and STEM fields will grow by more than 10 percent through 2032, and it frames Building 55 as a pipeline for nurses, lab technicians, scientists, engineers and technology workers who stay and work in South Florida.

Who was there

Broward College Acting President Rabia Azhar led the ceremony. She described the building as an investment in health care, innovation and economic mobility across the county, and thanked faculty, staff and students in her closing remarks. The keynote speaker was Dr. Ashley Meros, chancellor of the Florida Department of Education's Division of Career and Adult Education, who spoke about the students who will use the labs once they open. Cody Kiess, president of CORE Florida, spoke for the builder.

About the college

Broward College serves more than 55,000 students a year, according to the college. The North Campus in Coconut Creek is the site of this project, and the classrooms the new building replaces have been in use there since 1974.

What happens next

Construction now moves forward through 2027, with Building 55 scheduled to open to students in fall 2028. Prospective students can learn about the college's nursing, science and information technology programs, and request information or apply, through broward.edu. The college's media contact for the project is Chris Guanche at 954-201-7514.

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