Universities are creating spaces that merge engineering and health sciences education to produce doctors who not only can treat their patients but also can design innovative medical devices to solve the problems they encounter.
Providence College broke ground in late September of 2023 on the Ben Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences. Designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative, the 125,000-sf facility will provide teaching labs, active learning environments, faculty innovation labs, and a 100-seat auditorium. Featuring state-of-the-art anatomy and physiology labs with Anatomage tables, the five-story building will include clinical simulation suites with augmented and virtual reality technologies to enable immersive, experiential education.
Miami University dedicated the $96 million Clinical Health Sciences and Wellness Building in September of 2023 in Oxford, Ohio. The three-story, 165,000-sf complex strategically collocates programs in nursing, physician associate studies, and speech pathology and audiology to enhance interprofessional exchange and discovery. Designed by BSA LifeStructures, the transdisciplinary facility comprises three linked volumes. The north wing houses classrooms, teaching labs, a fitness studio, and the Office of Student Wellness.
The University of Cincinnati’s College of Allied Health Sciences designed a classroom building that lives up to its name, one that promotes the health and well-being of students and faculty, with ample natural light, healthy eating options, and spaces for quiet respite.
Austin Peay State University broke ground in August of 2023 on the $65 Health Professions Building in Clarksville, Tenn. Designed by Hastings Architecture and Ayers Saint Gross, the 114,600-sf facility will provide a dynamic mix of instructional venues supporting both lecture-based and active learning modalities. Featuring leading-edge simulation suites, the three-story structure will include teaching and research labs, collaboration spaces, study areas, a community clinic, and administrative and faculty offices.
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is constructing the $75 million Research and Education Institute on its existing hospital campus in Sarasota, Fla. The 80,000-sf facility will provide leading-edge environments for basic and clinical research where physicians and investigators can engage in collaborative discovery. Featuring a state-of-the-art simulation center, the five-story structure will also accommodate instructional spaces for graduate medical programs, nursing courses, and associated training activities.
The University of Iowa will begin construction in fall of 2023 on the $249 million Health Sciences Academic Building in Iowa City. Offering instructional, administrative, clinical, and research space, the 263,000-gsf facility will strategically collocate programs in communication sciences and disorders, health and human physiology, and physical therapy and rehabilitation science. Leading-edge learning environments will prepare the next generation of medical professionals to deliver patient-centered care in collaboration with other specialists.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston broke ground in June of 2023 on a $299 million facility for the School of Public Health. Located in the Texas Medical Center’s Helix Park, the 350,000-sf tower will provide leading-edge research labs, collaboration spaces, and classrooms for programs in epidemiology, genetics, nutrition, health policy, data science, and health promotion. Featuring an expansive auditorium, the 10-story building will integrate advanced distance-learning technologies to enable both in-person and remote instruction.
Purdue University is planning to construct the $160 million Nursing and Pharmacy Education Building in West Lafayette, Ind. Fostering interprofessional collaboration and discovery, the 186,000-sf facility will strategically collocate the College of Health and Human Services with the College of Pharmacy. The four-story structure will mirror modern healthcare settings with clinical simulation labs, a pharmacy practice lab, and a nuclear pharmacy lab.
The University of Texas at Arlington opened a $76 million health sciences facility in April of 2023 for the School of Social Work. Featuring flexible, technology-enabled learning environments, the 150,000-sf building includes teaching and research labs, study areas, and offices for faculty and staff. This dynamic nexus of interprofessional education was designed by SmithGroup to enable an innovative pedagogy that enhances collaboration between allied health disciplines.
Texas A&M University will break ground in summer of 2023 on the $150 million Law & Education Building in Fort Worth. Designed by Stantec and Pelli Clarke & Partners, the 225,000-gsf facility will provide flexible classrooms and teaching labs for courses in business, engineering, law, and health sciences. The nine-story structure will also include maker spaces and research labs that can be used by the public and private sectors for academic programs, workforce training, and collaborative discovery.
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore opened the Pharmacy and Health Professions Building in April of 2023 in Princess Anne, Md. Designed by Shepley Bulfinch and Ayers Saint Gross, the 120,000-sf facility features state-of-the-art teaching labs and simulation spaces for the School of Pharmacy, as well as accommodating courses in kinesiology, physician assistance, and physical therapy and rehabilitation.
Wexford Science+Technology broke ground in January of 2023 on the 300,000-sf Howard R. Levine Center for Education in Charlotte. Designed by Ayers Saint Gross, the project will provide Wake Forest University’s School of Medicine with world-class teaching labs, active learning classrooms, and areas for formal and informal collaboration. The vibrant facility will also accommodate Atrium Health's Carolinas College of Health Sciences and space for Wake Forest's business and professional studies programs.
The University of British Columbia began construction in December of 2022 on the CAD$180 million Gateway Building in Vancouver. Designed by Perkins&Will and Schmidt Hammer Lassen, the 267,000-sf project will offer sophisticated facilities for interprofessional education including wet and dry labs, high-fidelity simulation suites, flexible classrooms, and four large lecture halls.
Galveston College is constructing the $34 million Health Sciences Education Center to provide leading-edge facilities for its nursing and allied health programs. Designed by PBK Architects, the 64,000-sf building will include sophisticated classrooms, interactive lecture halls, teaching labs, simulation suites, faculty offices, and study spaces.
