Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and Center for Collaborative Learning
Located on Loyola University’s Medical Center Campus in Maywood, Illinois, the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and Center for Collaborative Learning is the new home of the University’s nursing program. An educationally innovative model in medical education, the facility directly links the new nursing school to the existing medical school.
In this collaborative learning environment, students simulate real world situations, working and learning together as a medical team. The four story building houses a learning commons and quiet study area, as well as a cafe, classrooms, lecture hall, faculty offices, and full floor hospital simulation lab for mock medical and nursing procedures. SCB and Transsolar Engineering collaborated in the design of the sustainable facility, which is LEED Gold certified. The 60,000 SF building utilizes a radiant slab for heating and cooling, as well as a natural ventilation system, which uses automated windows and solar chimneys to pre-heat air and generate currents of fresh air throughout the building. The building’s glass enclosure maximizes natural lighting, while fixed external shades on the south wall and an operable external shading system on the west wall help mitigate heat gain. This combination of sustainable strategies has resulted in substantial energy savings, reduced operating costs, and a healthy workplace for students and faculty.
