The project is a 108,000-gross-square-foot, four-story facility housing the new College of Osteopathic Medicine on an off-campus site in the Conroe, Texas area. The standalone facility sits nestled in the wooded area development on 7.3 acres of land that will serve as a medical campus and growth for the university’s future development. Site development includes 375 parking spaces with phasing scenarios for the initial Phase I development and a future 100,000-gross-square-foot facility. Phase II construction of a garage is near completion.

The interior spaces are welcoming, with warm, rich materials incorporating wood with the exposed concrete structure. Collaborative spaces are located throughout the building for both teaching, learning and administrative uses with abundant natural light. The public art program includes a two-story tile mosaic by Amy Ellingson visible as you enter the ground floor lobby entrance. The main organizing element of the building is a central spine with views of the tree-filled courtyard. This light-filled connecting element contains an interactive grand stair linking all floors. Along this grand stair or “community edge,” there are spaces for student collaborative study areas, team rooms and alcoves,which create opportunities for student interaction and knowledge sharing. Student life is also reinforced with a shared kitchen, living room and learning commons.

The building includes spaces supporting instruction, research, academic administration, and student life. Instructional spaces include a teaching theater that seats up to 215 students and an active learning classroom that utilizes a flexible seating / table layout that can double as an event space, including an adjacent catering kitchen and buffet counters along one wall. Specialty instructional areas include Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, gross anatomy labs, Standardized Patient and Simulation suites, as well as research labs. The Construction Cost Limitation (CCL) for the project was $49,000,000, and the project was awarded by a CMAR through multiple bid packages – Site Clearing, Foundation, Core & Shell and Tennant Improvement (interior buildout). The project design and construction was executed in 23 months and was a collaborative effort between the owner, design team and CMAR.