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The concentration on health isn't limited to the curriculum at the University of Texas Health Science Center's School of Nursing and Student Community Center, thanks to an environmentally conscious design from BNIM and Lake/Flato Architects
Texas is known for big ventures, and the Texas Medical Center in Houston is no exception. Other cities may have a prominent healthcare facility or two, but Houston's Medical Center campus in itself is a behemoth of health-focused entities. From cancer research to burn treatment to teaching and research, more than 25 institutions populate the campus. "It's like a city in itself, covering blocks and blocks and comprising high-rise buildings, low-rise buildings, traffic, students, patients, medical staff," says David Immenschuh, principal of Kansas City, Mo.-based Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh McDowell (BNIM) Architects.
However, the campus is home to more than medical benchmarks, especially with the addition of the University of Texas Health Science Center and the School of Nursing (SNSCC). The new, eight-story, $57-million facility, designed by BNIM in conjunction with associate architect Lake/Flato Architects, takes the pursuit of health quite seriously in both its form and function. It addition to housing 20,000 sq. ft. of classrooms, a 200-seat auditorium, café, dining room, bookstore, student lounge, student and faculty offices, and research laboratories, the building has won seven AIA awards as well as a LEED Gold rating since its 2004 opening.
From the get-go, obtaining LEED certification at the highest level possible was a main goal. "Sustainability was something they brought in right away," says Immenschuh. "At the start, our client was among the smartest we'd had concerning their knowledge base and their wishes for a sustainable project." Adds Patricia Starck, dean of the School of Nursing, "We believe that the environment is very important in health and very important to healing. We look not only at the physical and mental sides of a human being, but also at the human spirit. We wanted a pleasant environment that had light, that communicated with the outside world, that had natural components, and that brought the outside in."
Unfortunately, Mother Nature doesn't make it easy to create a sustainable building in Houston: the heat, humidity, and poor air quality make fresh air ventilation a challenge, the extreme sunlight complicates interior daylighting,...