Skanska Integrated Solutions celebrates the topping out of Rutgers University-Camden Cooper Street Gateway Planning Project

CAMDEN, NJ – Skanska, a leading global construction and development firm, joined Rutgers University—Camden as the university celebrated its topping out of the Cooper Street Gateway Planning Project at Rutgers University–Camden, where its program management and consulting group, Skanska Integrated Solutions (SIS) is providing owner representative and reporting services to the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE). The milestone marks significant progress in advancing a $60 million investment aimed at expanding academic space and strengthening connections with the surrounding community. 

Skanska is supporting OSHE’s Integrity Monitoring efforts for the project, which is receiving a $31 million investment from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund (CSFRF). Through its expertise in construction management and compliance oversight, Skanska is helping validate and monitor the proper utilization of project funding throughout the construction process. 

“This topping out marks a key milestone in a complex, multi-phase redevelopment that combines new construction with the adaptive reuse of 13 historic properties into a unified, community-focused campus hub," said Christopher Anderson, Senior Vice President, Skanska USA Building. “We’re proud to support Rutgers University-Camden in bringing this vision to life, one that prioritizes access to critical resources, fosters engagement and supports a stronger, healthier Camden.”

“The Cooper Street Gateway Project represents a transformative investment in the future of Rutgers University–Camden and the city of Camden," said Henry X. Velez, Interim Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Rutgers University. “This project will create a more connected and collaborative environment for faculty, students, and the broader community. At the same time, the new gateway will honor the historic character of the Cooper Street Historic District while establishing a welcoming new front door to campus.”

David C. Schulz, Vice President/University Architect, Rutgers Division of Institutional Planning and Operations added, “This project, which artfully weaves new steel into historic Cooper Street wood-framed buildings, is one of the most technologically challenging capital projects I've had the pleasure of working on. Its structural connections, temporary shoring and stabilization, laser-focused demolition, energy conservation measures hidden behind historic masonry facades, and preservation of physical fabric of the historic Cooper Street rowhouses are all carefully designed and constructed. The finished product will be an asset for the city, campus, faculty, and students for decades to come, and is evidence of Rutgers’ continued commitment in its host city.”

The multi-phase project consists of thirteen lots and eleven historic buildings along the Cooper Street and Lawrence Street that will be unified through the construction of a new three-story structure and an event plaza located within the rear yards of the existing buildings. By concentrating new construction primarily behind the historic properties, the project preserves the neighborhood’s historic streetscape while introducing modern academic and community-focused spaces.

At the heart of the project is a new facility that will consolidate faculty spaces currently spread across five campus buildings for Rutgers–Camden’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, improving accessibility and enhancing the student experience. The project will also include flexible, public-facing event and gathering spaces intended to support community engagement around health, nutrition, violence prevention, well-being, arts and culture, and other initiatives that contribute to stronger, healthier communities.

In addition to the new construction, the project includes the adaptive reuse and renovation of historic properties along Cooper and Lawrence Streets. These improvements will preserve the architectural character of the area while creating new opportunities for academic collaboration, neighborhood engagement and campus connectivity.

Construction on the Cooper Street Gateway Project began in 2024, with completion anticipated in 2027.