The University of Houston (UH) recently celebrated the grand opening of the new home of the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, for which Vaughn Construction proudly served as the construction manager-at-risk. The first building in UH's new medical school campus, the Fertitta Family College of Medicine is already helping UH address healthcare needs in underserved communities in Houston and across Texas.
While the College of Medicine building has been hosting classes since its completion in July 2022, UH held a ceremonial ribbon cutting to mark the building's official opening. UH President Renu Khator, Board of Regents Chairman Tilman J. Fertitta, and other UH leaders, business partners, and prominent members of the community came together for the event. Decorative banners and balloons in UH’s red and white adorned the atrium and lined the red carpet in the building’s lobby.
Several key members of Vaughn’s College of Medicine project team attended the event to celebrate the close of this important project. Over 25 months, our team worked tirelessly to deliver a facility that would support UH's mission. According to the project’s senior superintendent, "Knowing the significance of the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine and what it brings to UH, the community, and the great state of Texas, this Vaughn project team, trade contractors, and vendors worked to deliver an outstanding building during the global pandemic." He continued, "The team overcame challenges with illnesses, CDC guidelines, scheduling, workforce, and procurement, and did not disappoint. Our Vaughn team delivered yet another great project, one of many future projects to come, for UH."
While making this project a success was not easy, it was worth it. The project manager said, "The University of Houston, College of Medicine is a significant project not only for the University of Houston, but also for the city as a whole, as it will help address the shortage of primary care physicians in the region." In addition to these widespread impacts, the new college will also affect change at an individual level. He continued, "This project is also significant to the community and myself, as it has welcomed its first class of students, which includes some of my high school alumni. It will provide many other first-generation college students that come from low socio-economic backgrounds the opportunity to choose primary care specialties, including family medicine, which will eventually allow them to help the low-income communities in the city of Houston."
While their time at the College of Medicine building has ended, there is no doubt this project has impacted each member of our team. We are proud to have had a hand in supporting UH’s mission, and we look forward to more opportunities to help heal the sick, make new discoveries, educate future leaders, and improve our communities.
To learn more about the University of Houston, College of Medicine project, click here.
To see more photos and videos of the College of Medicine building, click here.