The University of Minnesota alumni account for more than 70% of that state’s health professionals. To help prepare the next generation, the university’s Twin Cities campus recently debuted its Health Sciences Education Center, a hub for UM’s health professional schools, and designed to promote interprofessional education and interaction that prioritizes student and faculty well-being.
The 202,000-sf Education Center is positioned to be one of the more comprehensive interprofessional facilities in the country. The project entailed six stories of new construction, and four stories of renovation of an adjacent building. The two structures are connected by portals on four floors.
“The new Health Sciences Education Center is much more than a building; it is a catalyst for change as we prepare the next generation of health care professionals,” says Mark Rosenberg, MD, Vice Dean for education and academic affairs in the Medical School.
Early examples of the Center’s multipurpose utility and transformative potential were evident last summer, when HSEC was used in collaboration with the School of Public Health, Medical School and the Medical Reserve Corps to assist the Minnesota Department of Health in COVID-19 contact tracing. M Simulation—a university team that designs and delivers training experiences for health science students and other stakeholders—also used HSEC’s spaces to train incoming residents and students on personal protective equipment in clinical environments.
REAL-LIFE TRAINING IS PART OF PROGRAMMING
The new HSEC has space for small and large group learning and instruction. Images: Lara Swimmer
The new HSEC includes:
Center for Health Interprofessional Programs, which connects health professions students from varying disciplines, allowing them to collaborate, network, socialize, and learn;
Biomedical Library and Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine, which connects students to healthcare’s history and opportunities for invention and product development that might define the industry’s future, including a makerspace and virtual reality studio;
Simulation Labs on two floors that connect students to the patient experience and the reality of working alongside their interdisciplinary peers. Jakub Tolar, Dean of UM’s Medical School and Vice President of its Office of Academic Clinical Affairs, explains that these labs help prepare students for real-life medical events and crisis, for which “you have to train yourself, almost like an athlete.”
The S/L/A/M Collaborative and Perkins and Will were co-design architects on HSEC. SLAM led this project’s program validation, utilization analysis, building planning, and the documentation of all classrooms, immersive learning environments, and administrative spaces. Perkins and Will, as AOR, provided the exterior and massing design, interior finishes and furniture selection, and public/social space documentation. The Building Team included JE Dunn (GC), IMEG (MEPF), Palanisami & Associates (SE), EVS Inc. (CE), and Sextant (AV consultant).
IN WITH THE NEW
The building's lobbies (above) have lots of seating and natural light. The Center's library features makerspaces and virtual studios. Images: Lara Swimmer, SLAM
HSEC, which broke ground in February 2018, replaces a four-story brick structure, called the VFW Cancer Research Center and Masonic Memorial Building, that was completed in 1957. The renovated space in the Phillips Wangersteen Building replaces underutilized clinics.
The State of Minnesota invested $66.7 million in construction as part of its 2017 special session bonding bill. The University, along with support from donors, funded an additional $33.3 million in construction costs. Predesign and design from reallocated TCF Bank Stadium bond proceeds totaled $8.6 million. The total cost of the project is $108.6 million, according to the university.
Related Stories
| Oct 15, 2014
Harvard launches ‘design-centric’ center for green buildings and cities
The impetus behind Harvard's Center for Green Buildings and Cities is what the design school’s dean, Mohsen Mostafavi, describes as a “rapidly urbanizing global economy,” in which cities are building new structures “on a massive scale.”
| Oct 14, 2014
Proven 6-step approach to treating historic windows
This course provides step-by-step prescriptive advice to architects, engineers, and contractors on when it makes sense to repair or rehabilitate existing windows, and when they should advise their building owner clients to consider replacement.
| Oct 12, 2014
AIA 2030 commitment: Five years on, are we any closer to net-zero?
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the American Institute of Architects’ effort to have architecture firms voluntarily pledge net-zero energy design for all their buildings by 2030.
| Sep 24, 2014
Architecture billings see continued strength, led by institutional sector
On the heels of recording its strongest pace of growth since 2007, there continues to be an increasing level of demand for design services signaled in the latest Architecture Billings Index.
| Sep 22, 2014
4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations
Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.
| Sep 22, 2014
Sound selections: 12 great choices for ceilings and acoustical walls
From metal mesh panels to concealed-suspension ceilings, here's our roundup of the latest acoustical ceiling and wall products.
| Sep 17, 2014
New hub on campus: Where learning is headed and what it means for the college campus
It seems that the most recent buildings to pop up on college campuses are trying to do more than just support academics. They are acting as hubs for all sorts of on-campus activities, writes Gensler's David Broz.
| Sep 15, 2014
Ranked: Top international AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Gensler, and Jacobs top BD+C's rankings of U.S.-based design and construction firms with the most revenue from international projects, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 9, 2014
Using Facebook to transform workplace design
As part of our ongoing studies of how building design influences human behavior in today’s social media-driven world, HOK’s workplace strategists had an idea: Leverage the power of social media to collect data about how people feel about their workplaces and the type of spaces they need to succeed.
| Sep 7, 2014
Behind the scenes of integrated project delivery — successful tools and applications
The underlying variables and tools used to manage collaboration between teams is ultimately the driving for success with IPD, writes CBRE Healthcare's Megan Donham.
