Students and professors at the University of Cincinnati are soon to be finishing up their first full school year in the newly built Clifton Court Hall, the school’s largest academic building.
The 185,000 square foot building, located on the university’s uptown campus, is home to the College of Arts and Sciences, the school’s largest college. It also houses the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services. The state-of-the-art facilities offer students in these disciplines incredible opportunities to study, learn, and collaborate. Here’s some more information on the building and the process that led to its completion.
Planning and Construction
UC’s enrollment has been consistently growing for more than two decades now. The total student body increased more than 40% from 2002 to 2019, at which point it had reached nearly 47,000, a record total that has since been surpassed. With this major influx of students came the need for extra classroom space. So, in 2019, the university approved the construction of Clifton Court Hall at the intersection of Clifton Avenue and Clifton Court Drive.
Initially, construction work was set to begin in fall 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors pushed that start date back to May 2021. Despite the massive size of the structure, construction work was completed within two years. Local media were given a tour of the facility in May 2023, just after faculty and staff began moving in. The space opened for students the following month. The school held a grand opening ceremony on Sept. 19, 2023.
Messer Construction Co. oversaw the construction work, LMN Architects and KZF Design were responsible for the design and architectural work. Pedco E & A Services provided engineering work, and Buro Happold served as the structural engineer. The total cost of the project was $93 million, with $85.5 being borrowed and the rest coming in the form of gifts.
The New Facility and Amenities
A substantial number of students and faculty have found a home in Clifton Court Hall. In addition to the three colleges mentioned above, Clifton Court Hall houses several academic departments, including Philosophy, Psychology, Journalism, Romance and Arabic Languages and Literatures, School of Public and International Affairs, School of Communication, Film, and Media Studies, and Asian, Eastern European, and German Studies. Essentially, the College of Arts and Sciences is now under one roof rather than being scattered across the campus.
“Because of the size and growth of the college, Arts and Sciences has been distributed across many buildings over the past decade,” UC Director of Planning, Jamie Accurso, said in a press release after the grand opening. “So, Clifton Court gives each of these departments a center of gravity and front door.”
The building features 24 classrooms, more than 230 faculty and staff offices, multiple lounges, a shared space for interdisciplinary programs, and a modern TV production and digital animation studio. The seating in the classrooms and lecture halls can be adjusted so that students can work in small groups, allowing for seamless collaboration. One 150-seat auditorium has microphones built into the ceiling so that students who are attending the class remotely can hear questions that other students ask.
The interior of the building features a five-story, centralized atrium, with a large, custom staircase, and gates. The exterior façade of Clifton Court Hall is adorned with terracotta, which has been designed to blend in with the brick buildings in the area. Additionally, there’s a pedestrian bridge that links the building with the Arts and Sciences Hall and the Bearcat Commons.
At Construction Protection Systems, we’re proud to have played a small part in development of the University of Cincinnati’s new Clifton Court Hall. Stay tuned for more updates from the makers of 1-2-3 Door Shield—the original, reusable door protection system.