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
University Buildings | Jul 23, 2020
Two eight-story residential towers and a dining commons complete on Cal Poly Pomona’s campus
HMC Architects designed the project.
University Buildings | Jul 15, 2020
New Cal Poly Research and Innovation Center includes features for a COVID-19 world
ZGF Architects is designing the building.
University Buildings | Jul 14, 2020
Cornell College partners with Johnson Controls to improve campus energy efficiency
The plan will reduce the college’s energy usage by 20%.
University Buildings | Jun 3, 2020
Renovation can turn older university buildings into high-performing labs
David Miller of BSALifeStructures offers technical advice on renovation of college and university laboratories and scientific research facilities.
University Buildings | Jun 2, 2020
COVID-19 and teaching the next generation of nurses
COVID-19 hasn’t just upended healthcare delivery, the workplace, and all levels of education – the economic toll is still being realized – and capital projects on college and university campuses will inevitably be impacted as public and privately funded projects adjust to the budget crunch.
University Buildings | May 20, 2020
JCJ Architecture, Moody Nolan complete UCONN's Student Recreation Center
The project sits at the center of the Storrs campus.
University Buildings | May 19, 2020
Clemson's new Outdoor Education Center uses a Mass Timber Structural System
Cooper Carry designed the project.
University Buildings | Apr 29, 2020
Dixie State University's new Human Performance Center
Hastings+Chivetta designed the project.
Coronavirus | Apr 10, 2020
COVID-19: Converting existing hospitals, hotels, convention centers, and other alternate care sites for coronavirus patients
COVID-19: Converting existing unused or underused hospitals, hotels, convention centers, and other alternate care sites for coronavirus patients
University Buildings | Apr 9, 2020
Designing for the next generation of student life: Academically aligned
Since many academic departments have been concentrated in their own buildings or portions of campus, bringing these disciplines into a shared facility is fairly new territory.
