University of Connecticut Health Center, Academic Building Addition and Renovation

Farmington, Connecticut

Firm

Centerbrook Architects and Planners

Client

UConn Health

Area

80,063 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$28,301,616

Completion Date

11/2017

Design team: Chad Floyd, FAIA (Principal-in-Charge); David O’Connor, AIA (Project Manager); Aaron Trahan, AIA (Job Captain)

An addition and renovation, this LEED Gold-certified project brings change to the University of Connecticut’s Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine
The old passive lecture hall paradigm is discarded here in favor of dynamic group-based learning. The old gross anatomy lab is exchanged for clean digital dissection. A Center for Wellness puts the spotlight on health maintenance.
The building’s centerpiece is a 12,800-square-foot addition that avoids a tangle of underground utilities by floating above a new entry lobby. The addition is dominated by a circular space 75 feet in diameter known as “The Rotunda,” surrounded by study lounges and classrooms. Packed with technology, the Rotunda accommodates 240 students at 30 tables arrayed around a central dais. High-definition images project onto large screens at third points around the room. Students use table microphones to converse with professors. This space points to the future of medical education.
The Rotunda is a flexible multipurpose space. It readily converts to conventional lecture or banquet seating. Curtains drawn across its three screens create a spacious event venue.