Texas A&M University and EYP have recently completed a renovation and modernization project of the university’s Engineering & Health Building for the Engineering Medicine (EnMed) program.
The program is an integrated medical and engineering option for medical school that focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship wherein students simultaneously earn their doctor of medicine and master of engineering in four years.
The EnMed building is located in the east of the Texas Medical Center. The facilities required an extensive renovation of two connected structures — a two-story former bank built in 1952 and a 17-story office tower built in 1962.
The exterior facade was replaced and redesigned and now features a unitized glazed curtain wall system with stone and metal panels. Inside, the building features large, reconfigurable learning studios, flexible classrooms, multidisciplinary labs, and glass-enclosed collaboration spaces. The elevator shafts in the old office building were small and needed to be made bigger to accommodate gurneys. The build team combined two elevator shafts and ordered a custom elevator to achieve the needed size.
A 2,471-sf maker space serves EnMed’s engineering curricula with reconfigurable tables, 3D printers, a machine shop, and a floor-to-ceiling glass partition system that provides views to what is happening inside. Embedded in the glass is one of the original bank vault doors that bridges the building’s past and future. Additionally, 3D modeling and virtual creation tools are available to all students in the VR and AR simulation rooms.
A medical education simulation center offers students skills-based training on the healthcare side of the program. The simulation suite provides a hospital environment complete with beds, mock headwalls, and integrated teaching space.
Also included are a cafe, a 240-seat auditorium, conference spaces, and support areas. The facility’s “crown jewel” is the 17th-floor board room and multifunction space, designed to attract students, faculty, and donors to the program.
Related Stories
Green | Apr 21, 2023
Top 10 green building projects for 2023
The Harvard University Science and Engineering Complex in Boston and the Westwood Hills Nature Center in St. Louis are among the AIA COTE Top Ten Awards honorees for 2023.
Higher Education | Apr 13, 2023
Higher education construction costs for 2023
Fresh data from Gordian breaks down the average cost per square foot for a two-story college classroom building across 10 U.S. cities.
Market Data | Apr 11, 2023
Construction crane count reaches all-time high in Q1 2023
Toronto, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Denver top the list of U.S/Canadian cities with the greatest number of fixed cranes on construction sites, according to Rider Levett Bucknall's RLB Crane Index for North America for Q1 2023.
University Buildings | Apr 11, 2023
Supersizing higher education: Tracking the rise of mega buildings on university campuses
Mega buildings on higher education campuses aren’t unusual. But what has been different lately is the sheer number of supersized projects that have been in the works over the last 12–15 months.
Contractors | Apr 10, 2023
What makes prefabrication work? Factors every construction project should consider
There are many factors requiring careful consideration when determining whether a project is a good fit for prefabrication. JE Dunn’s Brian Burkett breaks down the most important considerations.
Smart Buildings | Apr 7, 2023
Carnegie Mellon University's research on advanced building sensors provokes heated controversy
A research project to test next-generation building sensors at Carnegie Mellon University provoked intense debate over the privacy implications of widespread deployment of the devices in a new 90,000-sf building. The light-switch-size devices, capable of measuring 12 types of data including motion and sound, were mounted in more than 300 locations throughout the building.
Architects | Apr 6, 2023
New tool from Perkins&Will will make public health data more accessible to designers and architects
Called PRECEDE, the dashboard is an open-source tool developed by Perkins&Will that draws on federal data to identify and assess community health priorities within the U.S. by location. The firm was recently awarded a $30,000 ASID Foundation Grant to enhance the tool.
Architects | Apr 6, 2023
Design for belonging: An introduction to inclusive design
The foundation of modern, formalized inclusive design can be traced back to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. The movement has developed beyond the simple rules outlined by ADA regulations resulting in features like mothers’ rooms, prayer rooms, and inclusive restrooms.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 30, 2023
New University of St. Thomas sports arena will support school's move to Division I athletics
The University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minn., last year became the first Division III institution in the modern NCAA to transition directly to Division I. Plans for a new multipurpose sports arena on campus will support that move.
Designers | Mar 28, 2023
Inclusive design requires relearning how we read space
Pulling from his experience during a campus design workshop, David Johnson, AIA, LEED AP, encourages architects to better understand how to design spaces that are inclusive for everyone.