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Construction is soon to start on the University of Portland’s new $40 million Shiley-Marcos Center for Design & Innovation. The university held a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday.

The new state-of-the-art building, designed by Opsis Architecture, will replace the former UP Physical Plant, located between Mehling Hall and the L-P Tennis Center.

The four-story, 45,400-square-foot structure will provide classrooms and spaces for UP students in all majors. It is also designed to meet LEED Silver sustainability standards.

Skanska USA is serving as the general contractor for the new center, which is anticipated to be complete in November 2023 and be open for UP students in January 2024.

The new building was made possible by a $10 million gift from local philanthropist Darlene Macros Shiley. The building is named after her late-husband and UP alumnus (class of 1951) Donald P. Shiley, who was the inventor of the first artificial tilting disc heart valve.