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Sacred Heart University Invests in Healthcare Education

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Construction is currently underway on the new Center for Healthcare Education at Sacred Heart University (SHU) in Bridgeport. The 117,000-square-foot, $45 million facility will sit on an 8.7-acre site and address increasing admissions demand across SHU’s health professions programs.

Upon completion, the new three-story Center for Healthcare Education will offer specialized single-profession services and a collaborative, holistic approach to treating pediatric through geriatric populations, according to a statement by the university. This will include state-of-the-art simulation labs, immersive learning environments and educational spaces as well as clinic space to serve the nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, and health sciences programs all under one roof. More space will also be allotted for teaching, clinical and skills labs as well as supporting classroom and office space to accommodate personnel projections and study and social space. Additionally, the building will offer a simulation suite, theater style instructional spaces, a dining hall and an Interprofessional Outpatient Clinic.

To further improve healthcare professions education at Sacred Heart University, enhanced athletic training, human performance and motion analysis labs will provide up-to-the-minute learning environments for the exercise science and athletic training programs, according to a statement by the university. These will be used for developing clinical skills and evidenced-based practices and to support faculty and student research, while the equipment will prepare students for careers in related patient care fields and cheap quality medicines. In addition, the speech and language pathology program will have labs to teach the use of diagnostic instruments and software, and to provide an environment for supervised clinical activities.

“The new facility with its larger space will expand significantly on the amount of space available for practice and learning,” said Mary Alice Donius, who will be dean of the new College of Nursing, in a statement. “There will be exciting opportunities for our nursing students — not only to practice on our state-of-the-art manikins and actors, but to collaborate on cases with students in the other health professional disciplines. This will ensure that students in all the disciplines will be prepared for the kinds of interactions they will experience when they begin to work in professional health care settings.”

The university selected the Glastonbury, Conn. office of The S/L/A/M Collaborative (SLAM) to provide design, cost estimating, structural engineering, landscape architecture, programming and planning in order to create the necessary teaching space for current and projected enrollment, experiential learning and interdisciplinary collaboration between departments.

“The new Center for Healthcare Education takes a huge leap forward in the use of cutting edge simulation technologies and experiential learning in all areas to improve the learning outcomes of the health professions students,” said Richard Herzer, SLAM principal and the project’s lead designer, in a statement. “At the same time, the design complements high technology with a range of informal study and social spaces throughout the three visually connected floors to promote personal choice and individual academic success in these highly skilled, highly technical fields.”

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New Science Building Opens on Clayton State Campus

MORROW, Ga. — The new 58,610-square-foot, $18 million Science Building at Clayton State University has reached final completion and is ready to welcome students. The new facility is intended to provide Clayton State with additional space for required laboratory classes. Construction began on the project in November 2013.

The energy efficient Science Building, constructed by McCarthy Building Companies of Atlanta, will provide the school with ample new high-tech instruction and research space critical for the Natural Sciences Department, as the university has grown from 4,675 students in 2001 to more than 7,200 students today, according to a statement by project architect The S/L/A/M Collaborative Inc. (SLAM) of Atlanta. Thus far, university officials have been required to use waiting lists for lab courses due to the high demand from students and the low inventory of available lab classrooms.

With the addition of the new three-story Science Building, Clayton State can now offer 19 instructional labs, nine research labs, two new 64-seat classrooms and two new 36-seat classrooms. The building also houses offices and support spaces, a vivarium, mechanical penthouse, mechanical basement and a loading dock. It is designed as a modern home for the sciences complete with stacked biology and chemistry suites which integrate research, prep and teaching labs, according to SLAM.

Located near a small pond on the hilly campus, the new Science Building takes advantage of its natural setting, absorbing daylight from across the water via glazed areas in the public spaces. Sustainable initiatives include sun shading, daylight harvesting, and use of recycled materials and rainwater.

Reflective of its goal to promote scientific innovation and education, the Science Building was also designed to achieve Georgia Peach Green Building certification. This certification recognizes facilities owned or managed by the State of Georgia that optimize energy performance, increase the demand for local materials and furnishings, improve environmental quality, conserve energy, protect Georgia’s natural resources and reduce the burden on the state’s water supply, according to a statement by McCarthy.

“Engaging undergraduate students in research is an essential part of their preparation for careers in the natural sciences and health sciences,” said Dr. Tim Hynes, president of Clayton State University, in a statement. “The innovative laboratory teaching spaces in this building will expand our support of undergraduate research projects where faculty and students work side-by-side in the learning and exploration process. Providing these opportunities not only benefit those in our science majors, they also impact allied health students and every student on campus who takes a lab science course for their core requirements.”

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Clayton State Marks Construction Milestone

MORROW, Ga. — Clayton State University (CSU), a unit of the University System of Georgia, recently celebrated the topping out of the campus’ new Science Building. Once completed, the $19.8 million energy efficient Science Building will provide the school with 64,000 square feet of new high tech instruction and research space.

The university, located approximately 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta, hosted a ceremony to mark the construction milestone on Sept. 12. Along with members of the university community, representatives from the project’s construction firm, McCarthy Building Companies, and architect, S/L/A/M Collaborative Inc., both of Atlanta, gathered at the construction site to sign the final beam before it was positioned atop of the new, state-of-the-art facility.

Upon completion the Science Building will house a number of classrooms, teaching and research labs, offices and support spaces. Spanning three stories, it will also contain a vivarium, mechanical penthouse, mechanical basement and a loading dock.

“Engaging undergraduate students in research is an essential part of their preparation for careers in the natural sciences and health sciences. The innovative laboratory teaching spaces in this building will expand our support of undergraduate research projects where faculty and students work side-by-side in the learning and exploration process,” said Dr. Tim Hynes, president of Clayton State University, in a statement. “Providing these opportunities not only benefit those in our science majors, they also impact allied health students and every student on campus who takes a lab science course for their core requirements.”

Reflective of its goal to promote scientific innovation and education, the Science Building will also incorporate a number of energy efficient materials and systems, and was designed to achieve Georgia Peach Green Building certification. This certification recognizes facilities owned or managed by the State of Georgia that optimize energy performance, increase the demand for local materials and furnishings, improve environmental quality, conserve energy, protect Georgia’s natural resources and reduce the burden on the state’s water supply, according to a statement by McCarthy.

“This project provided McCarthy with the opportunity to truly collaborate with the university, architect and subcontractors to make this building happen,” Kevin Kuntz, McCarthy’s Southeast Division president, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled for CSU and proud to partner with them to help grow their campus.”

Construction began on the new Science Building in November 2013. Currently, the building is on track for a fall 2015 opening. Those interested in more information can follow the project’s progress via Twitter at @McCarthyCSU_NSB or on Instagram at McCarthyCSU_NSB.

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Duke’s School of Medicine Building Achieves LEED Gold

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University’s School of Medicine recently announced that the new Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center is the first building to achieve LEED Gold certification on the medical center campus in Durham.
The 115,000-square-foot building was designed by S/L/A/M Collaborative (SLAM), headquartered in Glastonbury, Conn., in collaboration with Duda Paine Architects of Durham, N.C. It was initially planned to achieve LEED Silver, but, the $53 million building was granted 98 percent of the total attempted points for LEED Gold certification.
The six-story center is the first new medical building on the campus in 80 years. It is a modern, state-of-the-art medical education facility that mimics the 924-bed Duke University Medical Center.
“We created simulation labs and clinical skill labs directly set up and oriented exactly the way the patient rooms are in the hospital next door,” said Ray Weaver, project manager with SLAM. “What the students are learning in is the exact same environment they will be performing in.”
The building was designed to incorporate a sense of continuity using sightlines and materiality. As such, a pedestrian pathway surrounds the building to enhance the outdoor environment. The building hosts several outdoor study areas and the fourth floor contains an outdoor student lounge. More than half of the site was restored with adaptive plants and grasses that are native to the region.
The site’s terraced rain garden captures all of the stormwater runoff from the adjoining roofs and surface run-off, serving as both water retention and water filtering steps before being recaptured into the campus stormwater system. The rain garden is both functional and a beautiful addition to the building, said Greg Bergmiller, LEED AP, sustainable design coordinator with SLAM.
“It’s an example of utilizing the stormwater design for not only dealing with stormwater but also a very beautiful and articulated space that people can use and coexist with it,” Bergmiller said.
To further stress the connection to the outdoors, the glass-filled southern façade is situated as the front base of the medical campus, providing ample views and daylight. The southern façade incorporates horizontal light shelves while the western façade uses vertical fins, which reduces overheating and saves energy through reduced lighting loads. The amount of glass used in the long southern façade also creates a kind of activity zone, Weaver said.
“At night the building becomes sort of a glowing beacon of activity,” Weaver said. “You’re able to visually connect from the outside into the building.”
One simple but impactful design decision to achieve LEED points was the use of a white roofing membrane, Bergmiller said. Using the cool roofing membrane is especially important in warmer climates.
“If you have a black roofing membrane up there, it can actually be 50 degrees hotter than what the ambient temperature of the day is,” Bergmiller said. “By putting that cool roof membrane up there, you’re reducing that demand by an extra 40 to 50 degrees right away so that it’s pulling more air from the ambient temperature.”
The building also monitors air flow to enhance the learning environment. The mechanical system can sense occupancy and monitor CO2 levels, which controls air flow with variable speed drives and reduces energy consumption and improves indoor air quality.
The Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans Center began welcoming students in February 2013.

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