University of Miami's Campus Transformation Continues with Major Residential Project

The University of Miami's Coral Gables campus is making significant progress on its expansive Centennial Village residential project, with completion scheduled for 2026 among several other capital improvements underway.

According to Jessica Brumley, vice president of facilities, operations, and planning, Centennial Village is designed specifically as a "first-year experience" for students. "The majority of our freshman students would live in the Centennial Village together and really get that first-year experience as a community within the residential colleges under Centennial Village," Brumley explained.

Phase 1 of this ambitious project, which began construction in 2022, welcomed its first students on August 12 of last year. Phase 2 is now making steady progress, with the structural framework already complete after topping out earlier this year. The team has shifted focus to interior coordination and is preparing for the installation of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.

"We anticipate having windows in and air conditioning on by the end of summer, and we are still on track to finish the overall project the following summer, July of 2026," Brumley noted. This timeline allows for student move-in by August 2026.

When fully completed, Centennial Village will offer impressive housing capacity with over 1,100 beds in the second phase adding to the approximately 850 beds already available from Phase 1. In total, the development will provide nearly 2,000 beds across the complex.

The project's design philosophy centers around the shared experience of first-year students transitioning to college life. Brumley highlighted how the village allows freshmen to "cohabitate and kind of go through that experience of the first-time living away from home together," while providing Student Affairs the opportunity to "engage our freshmen as part of our Canes community and help them understand what it means to be living away and living on campus for the first time."

Beyond Centennial Village, the university has completed several other projects. The Theater Arts facility finished construction at the end of last year and is now fully operational under the College of Arts and Sciences. This new facility houses a black box performance theater, practice spaces, administrative offices, and classrooms.

The Frost Institute building has also reached completion of its interior construction.

Athletic facilities are seeing improvements as well. After previously deciding to delay a football operations center, the university has now completed construction documents and submitted permit applications to expand the indoor practice field to regulation size (100 yards) and add a strength training area. Enabling work for this expansion is scheduled to begin next month.