Building the Future

A global pandemic didn’t stop RIT from looking ahead and building the future. Here’s a look at construction projects that are transforming the campus.

Construction on RIT’s maker space and performing arts complex at the center of campus has entered a new phase this summer, with finished architectural drawings, projects out to bid, and work beginning on the steel frame. The newly named Student Hall for Exploration and Development (the SHED) will include huge makerspaces, a black-box theater, dance studio, and music rehearsal rooms, and is on track to open in fall 2023. Read more about the SHED.

Complementing that project, RIT is in the process of designing a performing arts complex that will feature a 750-seat theater and eventually a 1,500-seat orchestra hall for larger audiences. The new facilities are an essential part of RIT’s plan to develop the leading performing arts program in the nation for non-majors. Read more about the complex.

RIT’s Saunders College of Business will break ground on the expansion and renovation of Max Lowenthal Hall this fall. The renovations will almost double the size of Saunders College. Existing spaces will also be renovated. Read more about the renovations.

The renovation of RIT’s College of Art and Design is moving at a brisk pace during the summer months, with a key focus inside Gannett Hall. The project is part of a five-year masterplan that has already begun to renovate, rejuvenate, and transform spaces to meet the growing demands for a college that serves as the university’s creative hub at the intersection of technology, art, and design. Read more about the new spaces.

A multi-phase plan to upgrade athletic facilities also began this summer. The first phase of the department’s multimillion dollar stadium project is the relocation of the outdoor track across the street from its current location in front of Gordon Field House with an upgraded synthetic running surface. The baseball and softball fields are also under construction with upgrades to all-weather artificial turf fields, which will be ready for play in spring 2022. Read more about the athletic facilities.

Overseas, construction of the first phase of RIT Dubai’s new $136 million campus is complete. The new campus will be able to accommodate up to 4,000 students. Read more about RIT Dubai.

Finally, RIT’s Global Cybersecurity Institute opened its doors last year. The 52,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art center is meeting the demand for computing security professionals, while developing future technologies and human understanding needed to address the global cybersecurity crisis. Read more about GCI.