From former grocery store to SDSU Metro Center

Instead of taking place on campus in Brookings, one of TSP’s latest collaborations with South Dakota State University and the SDSU Alumni & Foundation unfolded at the intersection of 33rd Street and Minnesota Avenue in Sioux Falls, in a building that once housed a grocery store and later a home medical equipment retailer.

The SDSU Metro Center was designed to support health sciences education and future health care workforce development. The 44,000-square-foot renovation features teaching and learning areas, staff offices, student spaces, and state-of-the-art nursing simulation labs. It also includes space for SDSU Connect, Admissions, Enrollment, and Distance Learning staff.

In addition to the interior renovations, the building exterior received a face-lift, with vibrant new finishes and SDSU branding.

Avera gifted the building to the SDSU Alumni & Foundation, and SDSU now expects to educate over 400 students in the facility each year.

Phasing construction around an active learning environment

The project required a thoughtful and intentional phased construction approach while SDSU Pharmacy students remained in the building. Students were often studying and taking exams during construction while interruptions were kept to a minimum.

The SDSU Metro Center is now home to students in nursing, pharmacy, respiratory care, medical laboratory science, and public health.

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