{"id":80660,"date":"2022-07-05T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-05T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retrofitmagazine.com\/?p=80660"},"modified":"2024-03-19T16:03:45","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T20:03:45","slug":"johns-hopkins-university-school-of-nursing-opens-its-building-outward-to-showcase-activity-connect-to-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retrofitmagazine.com\/johns-hopkins-university-school-of-nursing-opens-its-building-outward-to-showcase-activity-connect-to-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing Opens Its Building Outward to Showcase Activity, Connect to Community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The last two years brought about an unprecedented number of across-the-board resignations, retirements and staffing shortages, fundamentally altering our definition of \u201cwork\u201d and \u201cthe workplace.\u201d But nowhere has the economy buckled more than in health care, specifically nursing. Shifts in pay scales and contract types to balance the current supply and demand are sending ripples across the industry, driving increased attention to nursing school enrollment\u2013\u2013in terms of the volume and quality of the graduates. It is a necessity that America\u2019s nursing education programs are equipped to deliver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A DOUBLE-SKIN CURTAINWALL SYSTEM AT THE WEST FA\u00c7ADE CONTROLS HEAT GAIN, GLARE AND ALLOWS FOR GREATER TRANSPARENCY IN SUPPORT OF THE GOAL OF SHOWCASING ACTIVITY WITHIN THE BUILDING. THIS CURTAINWALL ALLOWS STUDENTS TO GATHER, STUDY AND CONNECT ALONG THE GLASS IN COMFORT.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing is one example of a school that has been redesigned to accommodate today\u2019s generation of nurses and future nursing leaders. Hord Coplan Macht, in partnership with William Rawn Associates, embraced the university\u2019s East Baltimore neighborhood throughout the upgrade and expansion project, seeking to strengthen the campus\u2019 roots in the community by breaking down the former fortress-like facilities to foster greater inclusivity, celebrate the educational mission of the School of Nursing and improve the streetscape experience for all passersby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Built in the early 1990s for a smaller student population and undergraduate-level coursework, the team reimagined the building to create a student-centric learning environment through new and updated programming. The 40,000-square-foot addition to the building replaced the adjacent School of Nursing House building for a more integrated student-faculty-administration experience centered around a new learning hub. The goal of the project was to reinvigorate the existing building through innovative space planning to maximize space utilization, create a student-centric environment, improve learning and research, minimize long-term operating and maintenance expenses, and increase overall efficiency within the school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CAMPUS IDENTITY AND SENSE OF PLACE<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Giving the School of Nursing a recognizable identity within the broader East Baltimore medical campus was an important aspect of the renovation. The entrance of the building was moved to a more visible location with an outdoor terrace. The caf\u00e9 was intentionally located in the prime corner of the building to open up the building to the broader community and to increase the school\u2019s connections to the local community. The caf\u00e9 serves an important role in East Baltimore; there are limited food-service opportunities in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BEFORE: THE SCHOOL\u2019S HIDDEN GEM HAD ALWAYS BEEN AN OUTDOOR COURTYARD SPACE, BUT IT HAD BEEN HARD TO ACCESS FROM THE INTERIOR. <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
A new hub was located adjacent to the beloved existing courtyard that was also redesigned as part of the project. This gives students, faculty and staff a place to gather outdoors, as well as within the abundant interior spaces of the hub. Because Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing is a top-ranked and international leader in nursing education, an important aspect of the project was to expand the conferencing facility within the school. The convening space was doubled in size and connected to the new hub with a barn door. This design allows the School of Nursing to more easily share its leadership and knowledge with improved physical connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DESIGNING FOR WELLBEING<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
A major focus of the project was to proactively promote health and wellness for students, faculty and visitors. In particular, the overall design was built to promote mental and cardiovascular health. To promote mental health, the team created a holistic design focused on employing biophilic design strategies that create spaces that are connected to the outdoor courtyard and utilize patterns from nature. To support cardiac health, a decision was made not to incorporate another elevator in the project. A grand new stairway weaves its way from the hub up through the building to encourage the stairs use. The stairway is open, visually interesting and conducive to stopping to talk, encouraging students and faculty to move more and interact with each other. It was designed and located to showcase the life of the school and provide views of East Baltimore. This is in sharp contrast to the existing building layout, which was more inward focused. Better physical and mental health leads to deeper, more meaningful and more engaged learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
STUDENT-CENTRIC SPACES<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
A SEQUENCE OF OPEN STAIRS CREATES A DELIBERATELY WINDING PATH THROUGH THE BUILDING, LEADING STUDENTS PAST STUDY AREAS WITH VIEWS AND DAYLIGHT.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
A focus on student spaces extends throughout the renovation and addition. A sequence of open stairs creates a deliberately winding path through the building, leading students past study areas with views and daylight. In contrast to the more active hub, the Study Cube located on the third floor supports quiet study. Placed on the main fa\u00e7ade, above the new entrance, the Study Cube celebrates the student-centered focus of the school, showcasing activity to the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A double-skin curtainwall system at the west fa\u00e7ade controls heat gain, glare and allows for greater transparency in support of this goal of showcasing activity. This curtainwall allows students to gather, study and connect along the glass in comfort that would not be possible without this double-skin technology. Numerous collaborative study rooms, study booths and informal seating are strategically located throughout the building. The design team intentionally located these areas to break down the divide between the faculty and student domains that existed within the former building layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the lower level of the building, a new informal student kitchen and lounge area is incorporated to allow students to gather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FULFILLING THE MISSION OF THE INSTITUTION<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
The addition allowed the school to create a true hub of school life for the first time: a place where the whole school could gather to hear guest speakers or where students, who primarily work in groups, can find each other. The school\u2019s hidden gem had always been an outdoor courtyard space, but it had been hard to access from the interior. The new hub opens directly onto this courtyard. Both the hub and courtyard are now visible across a diagonal as one enters the building. Student collaboration spaces face onto the hub at both levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THE SCHOOL HUB\u2019S FOCAL POINT IS A LARGE MURAL WITH THE SCHOOL OF NURSING CREED AND CREST.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
The hub\u2019s focal point is a large mural with the school of nursing creed and crest. It is a colorful physical manifestation of the mission. The hub is designed in layers of transparency and acoustical privacy. The group study rooms located directly on the hub are enclosed in interior storefront and do not have doors. As you move further away from the hub, the collaborative study rooms include doors and eventually a multipurpose enclosed classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A NEW CENTER FOR RESEARCH AND SYMPOSIA<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
For the first time, the School of Nursing can host research activities and symposia in its building, allowing the broader medical community and city that the school serves to visit. The hub, in conjunction with new conferencing rooms, creates a gathering \u201cecosystem\u201d. Smaller spaces allow community groups to participate in research activities. For the first time, funded research spaces are within the main building, allowing students greater access to prominent researchers and their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The research commons is designed around flexibility and efficiency of research teams. The design is based around groupings of three that can expand and contract as research grant fundings ebb and flow. Although the commons is airy and open, it incorporates the required privacy and security requirements for research. This commons concept is new to the school and will allow students to see and participate in research activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A FUTURE-BUILT SCHOOL<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Redesigned to accommodate a new generation of nursing students, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing embraces the local neighborhood to create a campus that is open to students and the community alike. This technology-rich, next-generation nursing school carefully considers its students, enlivens its surrounding community and creates an environment where students can prepare to face the many challenges of today\u2019s health-care system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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