Jacoby Architects’ design for the new Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center for Clinical Excellence brings USU’s College of Education and Human Services various departments under one roof. This healthcare and educational facility includes integrated service delivery, vocational and graduate student training activities, clinical research, and community outreach within various clinics: 1. Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities; 2. Family and Human Development; 3. Aging and Memory; 4. Health and Exercise Science; 5. Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences; and 6. Center for Persons with Disabilities. The building also includes: early childhood education classrooms, distance education classrooms, specialized therapy rooms, nursing simulation lab, hydrotherapy pool, gymnasium for physical therapy, audiometric booths, café, and a demonstration kitchen.
The building is a four-story, 100,000 square foot building with a 10,000 square foot underground patient parking garage. It is divided into two wings; one that contains academic and research functions for faculty, students, and the public; and one that contains clinical spaces for patients and private therapy. These two wings are connected by transparent bridges with a large, open-air courtyard between. This courtyard serves as the heart of the building and is named the Healing Garden. It is a multi-functional space for patients to get fresh air before or after their treatment, or a space for students and faculty to sit outside and eat food from the café in the main lobby. The main lobby also contains a gallery designed to host exhibitions every few months.