David Brown | Staff Writer
Across the Modesto A. Maidique Campus, construction cranes, fenced-off lots, and detour signs are the new familiar as the university moves forward with major developments to go along with its strategic plan to become a top 30 public institution by 2030.
Following the partial destruction of University Apartments, construction quickly sprang up across FIU. For students on campus, the changes are hard to miss.
Sunblazer Hall
Sunblazer hall is quickly becoming one of the most noticeable projects rising on campus, set to open in Fall 2028 as the university’s newest residential complex.
The 17-story residential hall is planned to house 1,174 students, making it the tallest residence hall in Florida’s State University System once completed. Rising beside Tamiami, the structure will feature a sleek glass exterior with a distinctive crescent-shaped curve reaching across towards the MARC building.
Inside, Sunblazer Hall will offer four-bedroom, two-bathroom apartments along with studio-style units. The building will also feature innovative amenities like a makerspace lab equipped with technology like 3D printers similar to the Edge Lab, along with audiovisual labs designed for podcasting, music practice and other multimedia projects available to all students in FIU’s on-campus residential community.
Outside, a large video screen will be installed near the hall to support community events like movie nights and outdoor gatherings, further enhancing the residential experience.
Residential Food Hall
Students may have noticed that the space between University Towers and Lakeview North has been fenced off, closing off a familiar walkway on campus. The disruption is making way for a new residential food hall designed to better serve students living in the surrounding residential halls.
The hall will span about 11,000 square feet and include five retail dining venues aimed at extended on-campus food options for students.
The lineup features a coffee shop serving beverages and pastries, a diner serving hot breakfast and rotating grilled items such as chicken wings and burgers for lunch and dinner, an Asian concept serving rice dishes, noodles, and poke bowls, and a Mexican concept serving tacos, burritos, and quesadillas.
The fifth venue will be a national brand chicken restaurant, currently to be determined by FIU officials.
The Diner, coffee shop, asian concept, and mexican concept will be operated by Chartwells, a food service company who runs Panther Dining.
Trish and Dan Bell Chapel
The Trish and Dan Bell Chapel is among the university’s nearest-to-complete projects, expected to open by 2026.
The Chapel will be a 17,000-square-foot facility designed for facilitating religious life on campus, set to provide students with a dedicated space for worship, reflection and non secular community gatherings.
The facility will include a sanctuary to hold more than 200 people, a narthex, two green rooms, two prayer rooms, multipurpose conference and seminar rooms, and multifaith counseling, expected to provide space for more than 16 faith groups and student clubs to practice. The facility will also be available for rental for religious life-stage milestones, weddings and other ceremonial events.
Construction of the building was supported by a $14 million donation from South Florida philanthropists Trish and Dan Bell who the chapel is named after.
September, 2nd Trish and Dan Bell Construction | Photo by David Brown
CasaCuba
Expected to open in 2027, CasaCuba will become FIU’s one-of-a-kind academic and cultural center. In dedication to honor Miami’s deep Cuba heritage and Cuban American roots, the space will host the studying and preservation of Cuban heritage, history, research and culture.
The 43,000-square-foot Benjamín León Jr. CasaCuba building will feature a gallery wing of exhibition space showcasing FIU’s Cuba-related collection, immersive experiential exhibits, and integrated digital storytelling display areas. A digital archive and an oral history collection room will additionally be featured. CasaCuba will also feature classrooms and seminar rooms, administrative offices, courtyards, performance spaces and a banquet hall with a catering area.
CasaCuba is also dedicated to be a community forum for scholars, business leaders and policymakers to discuss crucial political and cultural moments in a supportive and constructive environment to foster unity in the Cuban Diaspora.
The facility is being supported by major constructions from South Florida’s Cuban American community. U.S. Ambassador to Spain Benjamín León Jr., an honorary FIU alumnus, donated $10 million toward the project, with another $5 million contribution from Jorge Mas, a prominent Cuban American businessman.
Helen and Jacob Shaham Academic Medical Center
After the partial destruction of University Apartments over the spring, the Helen and Jacob Shaham Academic Medical Center now stands in its place.
Funded through a $158 million State of Florida appropriation, the seven-story, 163,000-square-foot Helen and Jacob Shaham Academic Medical Center will be one of FIU’s largest investments in health care delivery.
The center will feature academic learning spaces and outpatient multispecialty services, including same-day surgery and diagnostic imaging. The new services will expand access to outpatient care for the nearby communities while providing FIU medical students and trainees with opportunities for hands-on clinical education.
The center will be in partnership with the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and Baptist Health South Florida, with Baptist Health serving as the medical provider and managing the center’s operations.
The facility is expected to open in 2028.
September, 2nd Helen and Jacob Shaham Medical Center Construction | Photo by David Brown
Off-Campus Bridge
The pedestrian bridge on Eight Street connecting FIU to off-campus is likely the most anticipated construction to be finished, following the previous bridge that collapsed in 2018.
The new bridge was previously targeted for an opening in Fall 2026, but as the semester begins, FIU has not announced a specific opening date.
Spanning over 290 feet, the $38 million structure will feature a continuous canopy, elevators on both ends, stairways, a variety of seating and security cameras connected to FIU Police Department.
The bridge will be supported by dual steel box girders and 150-foot-tall leaning twin pylons with draped stay cables, providing additional stabilization and structural redundancy. The structure also features multiple structural redundancies intended to prevent a single failure to compromise the bridge.
Off-Campus Apartment
Next to Identity, a new off-campus development is taking shape expanding housing options for FIU Students. Officially known as Casa Sweetwater, the purpose built student housing development will stand 29 stories tall and include 297 units capable of housing approximately 1,000 students.
Built by Ascent Construction Group, the development will feature a rooftop pool, ample parking and multiple student amenities, including a dedicated amenity lounge on the seventh floor.
Although privately owned and developed, the building will be operated by FIU’s Housing and Residential Experience department. Similar to on-campus residential halls, the development will have resident assistants, student programming and activities designed to foster connections and create a residential community.
September, 2nd Casa Sweetwater Advertisement | Photo by David Brown
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