Project Details
Institutional
UPEI School of Nursing
Place:Â Charlottetown, PE
Program: Architecture/Institutional
Year: 2011
Design Collaborator: McKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects
Client: Univerisity of Prince Edward Island – School of Nursing
Cost:Â 8.6 M
Size: 39,000 SF
Home to one of the fastest growing departments at UPEI, the School of Nursing is designed to accommodate the Master of Nursing Program and an accelerated learning class. It is also home to the Department of Family and Nutrition and is the recipient of the 2010 Lieutenant Governor’s Award of Excellence in Architecture.
The structure’s narrow floor plate provides all interior spaces with maximized daylight and ventilation. The L-shaped plan, in relation to the surrounding campus buildings, creates a new quadrangle on the campus and unique views of the grounds. Connecting the building’s three floors is a large social atrium and a sculptural staircase.
The School of Nursing features five teaching laboratories with state-of-the-art computerized teaching mannequins and equipment to record student response and performance in clinical scenarios. The Family and Nutrition department encompasses two complete-level laboratories for academic research, commercial kitchen and dining facilities, and six fully equipped teaching kitchens that are part of an interconnected classroom setting.
The design implements modern mechanical and electrical systems that are responsive to environmental and occupancy loads. Combining with a high-performance building envelope, the structure is optimized for energy efficiency and low operating costs.