Texas Christian University today officially completed its opening of Arnold Hall, a 95,000-sf, four-story home to the institution’s Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine.
Arnold Hall marks TCU’s first major off-campus development, and initiates future growth for the university’s downtown Fort Worth location. The project team—which included the architects CO Architects and Hoefer Welker, and the general contractor Linbeck—collaborated with the city of Fort Worth to select and establish the location near urban medical districts and Near Southside, an urban mixed-use community, to build a bioscience sector.
The new medical school sits less than a mile from Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center–Fort Worth, Cook Children’s Medical Center, Medical City Fort Worth, and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital.
Construction of Arnold Hall—which had been in the works for a decade—was completed in July. The project was Plan B, after TCU and the University of North Texas Health Center couldn’t reach agreement for building under a private-public partnership. (The two parties split in January 2022, according to KERANews.)
Arnold Hall serves as an academic hub for 240 medical students annually, and nearly 150 faculty and staff. TCU administrators have estimated that the Burnett School of Medicine will create 31,200 jobs and have annual economic impact of $4 billion by 2030.
Future-ready facility
The new $62 million facility encourages collaboration via a commons area, library, classrooms, faculty offices and suites. Its third floor houses anatomy and experimental labs with AR and VR technologies. Students also have access to high-fidelity human mannikins in a medical simulation suite, where they can practice team-based care.
In the building’s clinical rooms, students hone their communications and diagnostic skills with patient-actors. And TCU’s curricula allow students to partner with physicians on their first day of medical school to identify drivers in the future of medicine that include artificial intelligence, genomics, and using technology to monitor patient health and diseases.
The Arnold Hall “communicates TCU’s commitment to creating dynamic state-of-the-art facilities for next-generation medical education,” said Stuart D. Flynn, MD, founding dean of the Burnett School of Medicine, in a prepared statement. Jonathan Kanda, FAIA, Principal with CO Architects, added that the goal of Arnold Hall is to create a school that is capable of “accommodating future technological and pedagogical advances in medical education.”
Related Stories
Architects | Apr 6, 2023
New tool from Perkins&Will will make public health data more accessible to designers and architects
Called PRECEDE, the dashboard is an open-source tool developed by Perkins&Will that draws on federal data to identify and assess community health priorities within the U.S. by location. The firm was recently awarded a $30,000 ASID Foundation Grant to enhance the tool.
Architects | Apr 6, 2023
Design for belonging: An introduction to inclusive design
The foundation of modern, formalized inclusive design can be traced back to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. The movement has developed beyond the simple rules outlined by ADA regulations resulting in features like mothers’ rooms, prayer rooms, and inclusive restrooms.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 30, 2023
New University of St. Thomas sports arena will support school's move to Division I athletics
The University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minn., last year became the first Division III institution in the modern NCAA to transition directly to Division I. Plans for a new multipurpose sports arena on campus will support that move.
Designers | Mar 28, 2023
Inclusive design requires relearning how we read space
Pulling from his experience during a campus design workshop, David Johnson, AIA, LEED AP, encourages architects to better understand how to design spaces that are inclusive for everyone.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 26, 2023
UC Davis Health opens new eye institute building for eye care, research, and training
UC Davis Health recently marked the opening of the new Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building and the expansion of the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC). Located in Sacramento, Calif., the Eye Center provides eye care, vision research, and training for specialists and investigators. With the new building, the Eye Center’s vision scientists can increase capacity for clinical trials by 50%.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 15, 2023
Georgia State University Convocation Center revitalizes long-neglected Atlanta neighborhood
Georgia State University’s new Convocation Center doubles the arena it replaces and is expected to give a shot in the arm to a long-neglected Atlanta neighborhood. The new 200,000 sf multi-use venue in the Summerhill area of Atlanta is the new home for the university’s men’s and women’s basketball teams and will also be used for large-scale academic and community events.
Sponsored | Cladding and Facade Systems | Mar 15, 2023
Metal cladding trends and innovations
Metal cladding is on a growth trajectory globally. This is reflected in rising demand for rainscreen cladding and architectural metal coatings. This course covers the latest trends and innovations in the metal cladding market.
Student Housing | Mar 13, 2023
University of Oklahoma, Missouri S&T add storm-safe spaces in student housing buildings for tornado protection
More universities are incorporating reinforced rooms in student housing designs to provide an extra layer of protection for students. Storm shelters have been included in recent KWK Architects-designed university projects in the Great Plains where there is a high incidence of tornadoes. Projects include Headington and Dunham Residential Colleges at the University of Oklahoma and the University Commons residential complex at Missouri S&T.
Virtual Reality | Feb 27, 2023
Surfing the Metaversity: The future of online learning?
SmithGroup's tour of the Metaversity gives us insight on bringing together physical and virtual campuses to create a cohesive institution.
University Buildings | Feb 23, 2023
Johns Hopkins shares design for new medical campus building named in honor of Henrietta Lacks
In November, Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine shared the initial design plans for a campus building project named in honor of Henrietta Lacks, the Baltimore County woman whose cells have advanced medicine around the world. Diagnosed with cervical cancer, Lacks, an African-American mother of five, sought treatment at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in the early 1950s. Named HeLa cells, the cell line that began with Lacks has contributed to numerous medical breakthroughs.