Hopkins School, a private school in New Haven, Connecticut, plans to build a state-of-the-art Center for Innovation and Technology that will expand opportunities for research, design, computing, and interdisciplinary learning.
The school says the 32,000-square-foot facility will serve as a hub for some of its fastest growing academic programs. Funding for the project comes from a $50 million gift from alumnus John C. Malone.
The center will be built on the south side of the Hopkins Quad. The architect is the S/L/A/M Collaborative.
Key features planned for the center:
- A 2,500-square-foot Research Center for the Hopkins Authentic Research Program in Science
- An expanded design and competition studio for Robotics
- An instructional suite for computer science
- An innovation and fabrication studio supporting engineering, entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary projects
- A centralized learning center
- A domed Immersive theater enabling 360-degree visualization for science and humanities courses
- A digital media production studio
- Flexible classrooms, breakout rooms, and a two-story student commons and exhibition hall
- LEED certification, including geothermal heating and cooling
Hopkins expects to break ground in late 2026. It hopes to open the center to students in fall 2028.
Malone, chairman emeritus of Liberty Media, has long credited Hopkins with shaping the trajectory of his life and career.
“Hopkins changed my life,” Malone said. “As technology reshapes the world, students need opportunities to understand new tools and apply them thoughtfully. My hope is that this Center helps Hopkins remain a national leader in education for centuries to come.”
In addition to paying for construction, a portion of Malone's gift will support endowed faculty positions and the long-term stewardship of the building.
The facility will be named The Gibbs Center for Innovation, honoring Josiah Willard Gibbs, a member of the Hopkins Grammar School Class of 1854. A New Haven native and Yale professor, Gibbs earned the nation’s first Ph.D. in engineering in 1863 and made groundbreaking contributions to physics and chemistry.
