Awards

University of Kansas Medical Center, Health Education Building

Hailed as “the poster child for the future of health-care education,” the Health Education Building at the University of Kansas Medical Center establishes a campus gateway on the corner of a prominent, public-facing intersection. The building supports the very nature of its purpose—interdisciplinary education—by establishing physical and metaphorical connections across the rest of campus.

At the core of the building are medical simulation and clinical skills floors, housed within a cantilevered glass structure. Simulation and skills courses comprise the heart of medical education, thus, the concept of the heart is further demonstrated with terracotta baguettes that create the visual effect of a ribcage enfolding the heart within. 

The glass façade is a powerful departure from the materiality of the rest of the campus, which is predominantly brick. To visually ground the building, the east side is clad in locally sourced bricks that were carefully selected to complement their surroundings.

 

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