Academic Medical

The kind of technology prevalent in today’s health sciences education requires a robust infrastructure that must be figured into a facility’s design during the budgeting and planning stages. Virtual simulation, virtual anatomy, tablet computers, 3-D stereographic display, software tools for collaboration, and touch interaction with LCD monitors—even the tried-and-true classroom technology, such as whiteboards, videoconferencing, telephone conferencing, dual-image large screen projection, large screen LCD monitors, and connectivity for personal devices—all require thoughtful consideration.

Cubresa introduced a compact, affordable SPECT scanner for preclinical research in early 2014. The scanner attaches to existing small animal CT systems, transforming them into multi-modality molecular imaging systems for disease study, translational research, and drug discovery applications. The product features a slim bore which positions the imaging detectors close to the animal subject, optimizing spatial resolution. Advanced detector technology improves sensitivity to balance radiation dose with accelerated study throughput.

The University of Texas broke ground in April of 2014 on a $334 million campus for the Dell Medical School in Austin. The 515,000-sf project will provide teaching, research, and administrative facilities, as well as a medical office building and a parking garage. The general contractor for the campus is JE Dunn and completion is expected by fall of 2016. Project partners Seton Health and Central Health will build an adjacent teaching hospital, the $295 million, 211-bed Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas.

Rochester Institute of Technology broke ground on the Clinical Health Sciences Center in April of 2014 in Henrietta, N.Y. Accommodating programs for the College of Health Sciences and Technology, the 45,000-sf facility will include dedicated space for the new Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition as well as housing a primary care clinic operated by Rochester General Health System. Constructed as an addition to the existing Louise M.

Black Hawk College broke ground on the $15 million Health Sciences Center in April of 2014. Located on the Quad-Cities campus in Moline, Ill., the three-story, 46,300-sf facility will provide eight labs, two classrooms, two conference rooms, a 64-seat lecture hall, and faculty offices. The center will accommodate programs in nursing, physical therapy, emergency medical services, surgical technology, veterinary assistance, and health information management. Completion is expected in June of 2015.

The three-story, 90,0000-sf Health Sciences Education building, which houses the School of Medicine at the University of South Carolina Greenville, establishes a new paradigm in health education. Funded entirely by Greenville Health System, the school is designed to fulfill its mission of collaborative learning and “patient-precise personalized care.”

University Health System opened the Sky Tower in San Antonio in April of 2014. The 10-story, 1 million-sf facility provides 420 private inpatient rooms, an 84-bed emergency department, 35 operating rooms, and a trauma center. LEED Gold sustainable design certification will be sought for the tower, which features robotic technology for the delivery of medical equipment. The project is part of a $900 million capital improvement plan that included construction of a new clinical pavilion on the Brady Green campus.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill dedicated the $245 million Marsico Hall in March of 2014. The nine-story, 340,000-sf biomedical imaging facility will support basic and translational research in oncology, nanomedicine, microbiology, immunology, and pharmaceutical engineering. Marisco Hall houses a hybrid MRI/PET whole body scanner, a 7 Tesla MRI whole body scanner, and a cyclotron.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is planning to build a new research facility in the Schuylkill district. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli and Cooper Robertson & Partners, the first phase of the project will include a tower up to 24 stories high providing dry labs, offices, and clinical research space. The facility will include a parking garage and a pedestrian bridge.

The University of California, San Diego dedicated the $113 million Health Sciences Biomedical Research Facility in March of 2014 in La Jolla, Calif. Designed by ZGF Architects, the 196,000-sf building provides wet bench laboratories, open lab space, lab support, offices, conference rooms, and an interaction atrium. A basement level accommodates core labs and mechanical systems.

Institutions that educate medical professionals are building an increasing number of simulation centers in response to the need for more hands-on, interdisciplinary, real-life training scenarios. Although these facilities can generate revenue, the expense of the equipment and related costs make it difficult to be profitable. But, with the use of creative design strategies, institutions can improve utilization and generate income.

Lakeland Regional Medical Center is planning to build a $250 million women's and children's pavilion in Lakeland, Fla. The eight-story, 300,000-sf inpatient facility will include a pediatric emergency center, a level III neonatal ICU, 12 labor and delivery suites, three surgical suites, and physician offices. The pavilion will feature private patient rooms and is slated for completion in 2017.

Tartu University Hospital is planning to build a 420,000-sf medical campus in Tartu, Estonia. Consolidating all hospital functions in a single location, the campus will include an oncology center, internal medicine and ophthalmology clinics, laboratories, a pharmacy, and facilities for the departments of pathology, endoscopy, and cardiac surgery. The project is supported by $29 million in loan funding from the Nordic Investment Bank. Completion is expected in September of 2015.
 

Nova Southeastern University broke ground in February of 2014 on the 215,000-sf Center for Collaborative Research (CCR) in Davie, Fla. The $80 million multidisciplinary facility will house wet labs, an IBM supercomputer research suite, the Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, the Rumbaugh-Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research, and the Emil Buehler Research Center for Engineering, Science, and Mathematics. The building will also accommodate the General Clinical Research Center, the NSU Technology Incubator, and space for the United States Geological Survey.

The University of Scranton is building a $47.5 million center for rehabilitation education in Scranton, Pa. Supporting an interprofessional medical education pedagogy, the 116,000-sf facility will provide classrooms, simulation training suites, faculty offices, and 25 laboratories for programs in occupational therapy, physical therapy, and exercise science. The center was designed by Hemmler + Camayd and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson in association with HERA Laboratory Planners.