UT Dell Medical Center Breaks Ground in North Austin

The UT Dell Medical Center is under construction at the former J.J. Pickle Research Campus, southwest of West Braker Lane and MoPac. The UT Austin project totals roughly 2.5 million gross square feet on 27 acres within the 300-acre UT Dell Campus for Advanced Research. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed it with Shepley Bulfinch. Construction began in September 2026.

Total project cost is estimated at $5 billion. The UT System Board of Regents approved Phase 1 on August 12, 2026, at up to $1 billion, funded through Revenue Financing System bonds repaid from clinical revenues at $56 million per year. The Phase 1 budget includes $650 million for site development, $100 million for design, and $85.2 million in contingency. A $750 million donation from Michael and Susan Dell supports the project, bringing their total giving to the university past $1 billion.

The facility will include a hospital tower, outpatient facilities, and a full-service emergency department, with 300 to 500 beds planned. The hospital component exceeds 380,000 square feet with ten 24-bed units and a 1,000-plus-space parking garage. Services include advanced diagnostics, critical care, rehabilitation, surgery, and cancer care through a partnership with UT MD Anderson Cancer Center. The building will feature AI-native digital infrastructure, robotics, and automation. Vaughn Construction holds the hospital contract.

Substantial completion is targeted for July 2030, with final completion by December 2030. Specialty programs phase in through 2032.

The site sits near MoPac and West Braker Lane, served by Capital Metro bus routes and adjacent to the Domain.