University of Mississippi Completes Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation

The University of Mississippi completed construction in August of 2024 on the $175 million Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation in Oxford. The 202,000-sf facility provides student-centered learning environments for STEM programs in biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and computer science. Featuring 50 technology-enabled active learning (TEAL) classrooms, the building offers teaching labs, lecture halls, a 3D visualization suite, a tutoring center, and a soaring central atrium. Conference rooms and breakout areas are intermingled with instructional settings to promote collaboration. The interdisciplinary structure also houses engineering design studios, fabrication suites, study spaces, and offices for faculty and staff.

Accommodating 36 filtering fume hoods, the high-performance building integrates energy recovery technologies, terracotta shading louvers, and sensors for monitoring lab air quality. Ellenzweig served as architect, programmer, lab planner, and construction administrator for the Duff Center, with McCarty Architects as architect of record. Yates Construction broke ground in October of 2021 on the project.