Urbahn’s design combines sensitive siting, innovative construction, and state-of-the-art technology to create a new home for the “NERPC”. The program includes classrooms, teaching and research laboratories, faculty offices, and support spaces. The centerpiece is its nursing simulation lab, which emulates a clinical environment in which students train for real-world situations involving pediatrics, labor and delivery, intensive care, and trauma procedures on high-tech simulated patients remotely monitored by faculty.
The 3-story building is located on the campus mall, tucked between the Gothic Davis Hall and the Brutalist Carmen Hall, creating a physically and stylistically challenging context. Our design mediates the two by employing a contemporary morphology that references the context while creating an altogether new expression. The building is designed to promote collaboration, with casual gathering areas to support learning beyond the classroom. To address the high stress levels, our interior design employs biophilic concepts and materials to create a psychologically healing environment.