Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences Breaks Ground on Osteopathic Medical Education Building

  • 01/07/19

The Center for Medical Education Innovation (CMEI) recently broke ground at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCU) in Kansas City, MO, to bolster the ever-evolving future of osteopathic medical education by using innovative simulation technology. Designed by CO Architects, in collaboration with Helix Architecture + Design, the new, four-story, 56,000-square-foot facility provides flexible, state-of-the-art learning environments to offer students advanced education, while positioning the university as a progressive leader in the field. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2020.

Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences Osteopathic Medical Education Building

Located on an undeveloped greenspace at the west edge of KCU’s campus, CMEI takes advantage of the sloping site to maintain the scale of the campus by lowering one floor into the ground, in effect creating a three-story building visible from the lower quad, while accommodating four floors of space. The building uses modern, low-maintenance materials, such as glass, brick, wood, and precast concrete, to evoke the heritage of KCU’s brick-clad campus.

In order to fulfill the university’s requirement for flexibility, many spaces in the building are intended for multiple uses. The simulation suite features eight simulation rooms connected to an innovative and adaptable black-box stage set, or sim deck, to accommodate small-scale scenarios, as well as large trauma events. The walls of the rooms fully open to the sim deck to offer new teaching capabilities and easy access between spaces. The ceiling utilizes a steel theater grid that allows light and equipment to be hung and freely arranged. A 40-foot-wide opening enables the space to expand to the adjacent campus quad for large-scale simulations using mobile monitoring and control technologies.

The standardized patient lounge has been re-interpreted from a single-use, historically underutilized space into a flexible, multi-functional destination. Operable exam room walls enable the lounge to transform into a clinical skills suite, classroom setting, or after-hours student study center.

Featured

  • Doerr School of Sustainability Accelerator

    From Concrete Warehouse to Innovation Hub: Accelerating Sustainability at Stanford

    The transformation of a once windowless, concrete publishing warehouse into a sun-drenched center for global innovation began with a single, fundamental challenge: how to turn an industrial storage shell into a space built for human connection.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.