The California University of Science and Medicine, located in San Bernardino County east of Los Angeles, has recently completed its new School of Medicine. The project is the first building and anchor of the university’s new Colton campus. HMC and SmithGroup collaborated on the project.
The three-story, 85,000-sf project features ample use of glass that allows natural light to flow through the building and create visual connections to nature. A two-story window overlooks the plaza and glass curtainwalls running the full height of the building in all four corner stairwells further this connection and create a lantern effect when illuminated at night.
Included in the School of medicine are lab and active learning classrooms; four simulation rooms, including an operating room; a standardized patient training suite; and multi-media systems that allow sessions with visiting speakers and prominent faculty to be recorded and streamed to other areas of the building.
A large plaza in front of the building connects to the Arrowhead Medical Center and fosters interaction between medical students and health practitioners. Two lecture halls open on to the plaza, which features ample seating, a shady tree grove, and a water feature to create pleasant study areas for study, socialization, and relaxation. The space can also host graduation ceremonies and other events.
HMC and SmithGroup’s design-build plan saved substantial time and money. The plan took cues from commercial building project and using a tilt-up concrete construction system and finishes that are more typically associated with office buildings. The project was completed nine months ahead of schedule and $1.5 million under budget.
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