Indiana University Approves Design for 11-Story Medical Education Building

The Board of Trustees at Indiana University recently approved the design of a new Medical Education Building for the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. The new facility will stand 11 stories tall, measure in at roughly 326,200 square feet and provide much-needed additional space for the instructional and research needs of various programs, according to a university news release.

The building will feature a three-story base with an eight-story tower above its southern quarter. The base will contain medical education facilities like support space, shell space for a research vivarium, classrooms, a medical library and collaborative learning spaces, as well as a central gathering space. The tower will contain three floors of faculty offices (floors 5–7) and three floors of flexible research space, as well as research support services and office space (floors 8­–10). The fourth and eleventh floors will serve as fully mechanical spaces that will provide mechanical services for the structure.

According to the news release, “The architecture expresses the unique character of Indiana University with its use of Indiana limestone and precast concrete accents. Along the first floor, warm brick accents will give scale to the building and acknowledge the use of brick on adjacent existing buildings.”

Local news reports that the new facility will be co-located with the Indianapolis Academic Health Center as part of a $1.6-billion development by IU Health in downtown Indianapolis.

The architectural design was developed by Browning Day and Perkins&Will. A university news story from 2020 reports that the project will cost an estimated $245 million, $75 million of which will be requested from the state of Indiana.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Pitzer College

    Designing for Change in Higher Ed Learning Environments

    Higher education will continue to evolve, and learning environments must evolve with it. By prioritizing adaptable infrastructure, thoughtful reuse, strong energy performance, and wellness-centered design, campuses can create spaces that support learning today while remaining flexible for the future.

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.

  • abstract illustration of school gym

    How the Gymnasium Can Serve as a Model for Learning Space Design

    Multipurpose gyms work because flexibility was built into the brief from the start, not retrofitted later. The same logic applies to academic spaces.