Opening in May 2024, Auburn University renovated a historic building in downtown Birmingham. The new Hood McPherson Building is a 44,000-square-foot urban campus. It provides a new home for two key departments: the Harbert College of Business and the College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC).

Williams Blackstock Architects was the A+D firm on the project. The project was recognized at the 2025 IIDA Alabama IDIE Awards. It received “Best of Education (Higher Ed)” and “Best in Show” awards for its superb work.

The Business Interiors team partnered with AU and WBA. They provided furnishings for many of the open areas. The goal was to create a state-of-the-art academic environment.

BI’s furniture scope for the six-floor project focused on a transparent and adaptable environment for students. The main areas included studio galleries, workshare open office spaces, classrooms, and collaborative rooms. The building’s design serves as a teaching tool. Exposed structural, mechanical, and electrical systems reinforce the CADC’s hands-on learning philosophy. The new campus connects students to Birmingham’s urban fabric. It shapes the future of design, construction, and business.

This award-winning project is a great example of combining the old with the new. We’re proud to have been a part of it.

Photography by: Nick McGinn

Alabama A&M University | Welcome Center

Alabama A&M University in Huntsville recently celebrated the ribbon cutting and opening of their new Welcome Center.

The center serves as a university hub, housing the admissions department as well as conference and dining areas. The center will also include commercial restaurants, including a Chick-fil-A that is al ready open, and a Starbucks that is scheduled to open next year.

This is a high-profile project in the heart of the campus, and we are proud to be a longtime partner of Alabama A&M. The BI Team worked with the university and Huntsville-based Nola | VanPeursem Architects on the project.

Alabama A&M University | Foster Dining Center

The previous Alabama A&M dining facility was outdated and very rarely used. The addition of soft seating and combinations of high top seating areas with colorful blends of fun fabrics successfully gave the space new life. This success has inspired A&M to carry this concept throughout other existing dining facilities, with two additional projects in process. Great job, Huntsville team!

Snead Sate Community College

Business Interiors was proud to work with Snead State Community College and B-Group Architecture, Inc. on the college’s Virgil B. McCain Center. Vacated in 2018, the Center reopened to students last November following extensive renovations.

The McCain Center is home to several university offices including Admissions, the Business Office, Campus Engagement, Financial Aid, I.T., Recruiting, and Student Services, and includes a newly designed first floor common area. BI also provided furnishings for the private offices and a large multipurpose space, as well additional conference rooms and meeting spaces throughout the building.