With an increasing demand in the nursing profession, the Sinclair School of Nursing at the University of Missouri in Columbia sought to increase its capacity for students and be more competitive with state-of-the-art facilities. The original project scope was to renovate the existing building and possibly construct an addition for program expansion. IAA began by coordinating feasibility studies and teamed with HGA for programming and their experience in nursing facilities. After extensive field investigation and budget discussions with the university, it was determined that a new Sinclair School of Nursing would be best for the program in terms of efficiency, future maintenance costs, and overall recruitment opportunities for the school.
The new Sinclair School of Nursing looks at maintaining a direct connection to the adjacent School of Medicine, making the building more visible and prominent on campus, and allowing generous amounts of daylight throughout the building. One of the main challenges and opportunities that the design team faced was to create a highly efficient layout of space with a very flexible program. Many of the spaces are designed to host several different functions, configurations, and modes of teaching. The programming and building layout also incorporated the use of more user-friendly public spaces – allowing for informal gatherings, display of school achievements, and outdoor areas that directly connect with the interior of the building. The new Sinclair School of Nursing building will allow the school to increase its enrollment of students, compete and grow with the future in teaching, and be more connected to the campus community.