Columbus State’s $50M Investment in Classrooms and Specialized Labs
Columbus State Community College, located in Columbus, Ohio (pictured), is investing over $50 million to renovate Franklin Hall and enhance campus facilities, including specialized labs for semiconductor, biotechnology, and automotive technology education, to create modern, flexible learning spaces that support active and collaborative teaching.
Columbus State Community College is investing over $50 million in classroom renovations on its downtown Columbus, OH campus, with the $35 million overhaul of Franklin Hall as the centerpiece. The three-story, 42,000-square-foot building will be transformed into a modern instructional center with state-of-the-art classrooms and labs designed for active learning.
Franklin Hall will close for renovations in summer 2025 and reopen by Spring 2027. The project, funded through Franklin County bond support and state capital dollars, will address deferred maintenance and enhance student learning environments. Additional upgrades across campus include new specialized labs for semiconductor and biotechnology education, improvements to general classrooms, and an expansion of the Automotive Technology program.
Columbus State is also investing in cutting-edge labs to support growing industries like semiconductors, biotech, and clean energy. A newly completed Vacuum Systems lab supports the college’s semiconductor certificate program, while a $900,000 Basic Mechanisms and Drives lab will provide hands-on training in energy transmission systems. A $1.8 million bioscience lab, set for completion in early 2025, will offer students an industry-relevant environment for biotechnology and nanotechnology studies.
The college is also upgrading general instruction classrooms and modernizing its Automotive Technology program in a $15.6 million project. Additionally, Columbus State is building the $66.5 million OhioHealth Center for Health Sciences to expand healthcare education, with funding from Franklin County bonds and an OhioHealth endowment.
The project team includes Erdy McHenry Architecture and MA Design (design team), as well as Ruscilli Construction Company (construction).
Lab Design News spoke to David Wayne, communications coordinator in the marketing and communications department of Columbus State Community College, about this project, which is still in its early stages.
Q: How are you gathering input from students, faculty, and staff to ensure the Franklin Hall renovation supports their needs for modern teaching and learning?
A: The renovation designs are based on a set of classroom and lab guidelines that were developed in last fall with extensive faculty and staff input.
Q: Can you share examples of specific feedback or suggestions that have directly influenced the project’s design so far?
A: The sizing of the individual classrooms and labs and the number of square feet per student are significant outcomes, [along with] the flexibility of furniture and opportunities to reconfigure the space for different teaching modalities [and] specifications for room finishes including flooring, lighting, shades, AV, etc.
Q: What post-occupancy evaluation processes will you use to assess whether the renovated spaces meet their intended goals?
A: Faculty and student surveys.
Q: What plans are in place to mitigate disruptions to instruction during Franklin Hall’s closure for renovation?
A: The entire building will be closed after spring semester so that a complete renovation can be completed without disruption to faculty, staff, or students. The building is a mix of classrooms and offices. All offices will be temporally relocated to other buildings, including some just off campus.
