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

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • UNL Kiewit Hall

    Designing for Engineering Excellence: Integrating Sustainability and Wellness at UNLs Kiewit Hall

    Kiewit Hall at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln exemplifies how academic institutions can integrate sustainability and wellness into modern learning environments. With an integrated and collaborative team approach, Kiewit Hall addresses enhanced learning and creativity, physical health, and mental wellness, and fosters a sense of community through innovative design, operations, and policy solutions.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.