Embracing Biophilic Principles of Design
WELL Silver Certification
Columbus Merit Award by the American Institute of Architects
The new home for the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine is the first new building on the Union Street Green of Ohio University’s Athens Campus. This new facility is a transformational modern medical education building for the University and for the nation.
The new HCOM facility is approximately 120,000 gross square feet and provides space for medical education, clinical assessment and training, student support, administration, and future growth, plus a Learning Resource Center. The program of space requirements for the new building was created to support the new curriculum for the college. The space planning and design enhance the changing curricula and emerging learning technologies.
The design incorporates osteopathic principles to healthcare delivery, accommodates multi-disciplinary teams for learning and problem solving, and integrates holistic care principles.
Heritage Hall embraces biophilic principals of design, and incorporates the new green directly into the public spaces of the building. The building promotes “active design’ by encouraging physical activity within the building with the intent of maintaining student health and academic success. The outdoor spaces are part of the educational environment, and encourage student and staff connections to the natural environment.
The building was designed with environmentally sustainable features including healthy materials, furnishings, and systems. Heritage Hall was also awarded WELL Silver Certification, the leading tool for advancing health and well-being in buildings globally, and was one of the first medical education buildings in the country to achieve it.
This project was completed in collaboration with Perkins + Will.
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