The Brain Health Center will provide timely cognitive screenings, evaluations, and community-based support services for patients in seven underserved areas across South Carolina. | Photo Credit (all): Courtesy of RMF Engineering
Located on its Health Sciences Campus in Columbia, S.C., the University of South Carolina (USC)’s Brain Health Center expands access to diagnostic support and specialized care for patients with cognitive conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The project, which celebrated its opening in March 2026, unifies clinical services, advanced imaging, infusion therapy, rehabilitation, and research under one roof. This allows the center to create opportunities for patients to engage in clinical trials and studies aimed at improving treatment options and outcomes.
The 65,000-square-foot facility required an expansive power supply and safety system to bring the facility online and maintain uninterrupted service. Quackenbush Architects + Planners partnered with Perkins&Will to design the facility, with Hood Construction Company as the general contractor. RMF Engineering provided the MEP and fire protection design for the project to meet these complex needs, allowing the facility to provide advanced care well into the future.
Comfort and Care at the Core
The Brain Health Center features state-of-the-art technology and clinical and research spaces designed with patient care and comfort at the forefront. The outpatient facility offers 16 exam, testing, and treatment rooms, an eight-bay infusion room for therapeutic treatments, and spaces dedicated to physical, occupational, and speech therapy. A small data center located in the lower level of the building supports the facility and its operations.
The Brain Health Center works in conjunction with USC’s statewide Brain Health Network, which includes seven brain health clinics statewide. A neurological and rehabilitation hospital is also in development. The Brain Health Center will provide timely cognitive screenings, evaluations, and community-based support services for patients in seven underserved areas across South Carolina. The facility will also aid the growth of USC’s research into brain-based disorders, supporting advancements in both treatment and understanding of brain health.
Safety Protection Systems
The MEP and fire protection design for the project supports modern clinical, research, and imaging environments within a high-performance facility that is both sustainable and flexible…