Duquesne University proposes new medical school building in Pittsburgh's Uptown

Duquesne University officials on Tuesday briefed Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission on its plans for a five-story building that would house the university’s new College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Rodney Dobish, chief facilities officer at Duquesne, said the new medical school will be a key project for the university.

“One of the things we learned from covid is how important the medical field is,” Dobish said.

The new building will replace the former Life Works building being demolished at Forbes Avenue and Magee Street in Uptown.

Duquesne’s osteopathy school will be Pittsburgh’s second medical school, and the university hopes to attract 600 students. Osteopathic medicine is a practice focusing on preventative care that treats the whole body, rather than just a specific illness.

The 88-foot-tall building will include a pedestrian plaza with bike parking, upgraded crosswalks and planted street trees to Forbes Avenue.

It also will be designed to accommodate the coming Bus Rapid Transit line, which will add bus-only lanes and a bike lane to Forbes.

Duquesne officials have worked to develop the plans with community organizations such as Uptown Partners and the Hill District Community Development Corp., which have given the project their support. The project will be part of the neighborhood’s EcoInnovation District, which hopes to address environmental and sustainability issues through development.

Officials said the new medical school will be 19% more energy efficient than the city’s minimum code requirements.

Pittsburgh Planning Commission will accept public comments in advance of a vote on the proposed project.