ROCHESTER, NY — On May 6, 2022, CPL joined the University of Rochester’s (UR) administration, local government officials and members of the Monroe County community at a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating a transformative 26,000 sq. ft. addition to UR’s School of Nursing.
Housed in Helen Wood Hall, the school operates as an extension of the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and has provided prospective healthcare professionals with a broad range of nationally-recognized academic programs for nearly a century.
As the student population burgeoned, the building’s residential dormitories were converted into classrooms and private offices to meet growing demand; enrollment has increased by more than 50 percent since 2016 alone.
The vertical, three-story expansion—located above the Loretta Ford Education Wing—was therefore designed to accommodate future growth while driving empirical learning, and implements the latest healthcare technologies to scaffold emerging medical teaching pedagogies and fulfill diverse student and faculty needs.
Major programming components include a skills lab equipped with 20 beds, exam tables and a critical care system; four simulation suites with high-fidelity human mannequins and SimIQ assets that augment student review sessions; flexible classroom spaces with sliding glass and folding wall partitions; experiential learning rooms (ELRs); clinical learning rooms (CLRs); and extended reality workspaces, which supplement both alternate reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology. A sizeable student lounge with an eat-in kitchen also offers students a place to recharge between classes.
“Our team worked closely with experienced medical personnel and school officials to develop this addition, which features progressive collaborative spaces that will strengthen student-teacher relationships and help nursing professionals develop the skills needed to thrive in the rapidly evolving healthcare industry,” said CPL Director of Design Jason Streb, AIA.
Serving as a partner to general contracting firm DGA Builders, LLC, CPL provided architectural, structural, building systems and site engineering services for the $15 million design-build project.
“Now that it has ample room to grow, UR’s School of Nursing is poised to become a nexus of hands-on learning that provides life-saving support for generations to come,” said CPL National Higher Education Practice Leader Mike Mistriner, AIA, who served as Principal for the project.
About CPL
Founded in 1975, CPL is a 500+ person multi-disciplined architecture, engineering and planning firm offering inspiring design services and enriching communities in 24 cities across seven states. CPL specializes in the Community, Healthcare, Higher Education, and K-12 Education market sectors – providing architectural, interior design, civil engineering, buildings and structural engineering, planning, landscape architecture and 3D/virtual design services to a host of public and private clients.