Newswise — Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON) is being recognized with an Engineering Excellence Honor Award by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC-Illinois) for the innovative design of the school’s new building. Both the university and the engineering firm involved with this structure will be presented with the award at the ACEC-Illinois awards luncheon in February.
“We are honored to be recognized for our new building,” said Vicki Keough, PhD, APRN-BC, ACNP, FAAN, dean, MNSON. “This state-of-the-art facility fosters collaborative, interdisciplinary education, ultimately improving the way health professionals learn and work together to care for patients.”
The four-story, 58,222 square-foot building, which opened in September 2012, houses a 165-seat lecture hall, classrooms, group study rooms, conference rooms, faculty offices, a light-filled atrium, and café. Features include the Galante Information Commons, an integrated learning environment with an electronic health sciences library, and the Walgreen Family Virtual Hospital, which is equipped with six high fidelity clinical simulation labs and a home-care environment for nursing, medical and health studies students. The design of the LEED Gold-certified building offers professors and students the rare opportunity to be able to open windows in a modern building. The availability of fresh outdoor air coupled with daylight provides occupants with natural, stress-reducing elements, which improve the learning environment. The building is connected to the Stritch School of Medicine, which features a task simulation, education and advanced procedures performance assessment center. Students from various disciplines work together in both facilities to replicate patient-care scenarios. This allows students to hone their technical, communication, critical-thinking, and decision-making skills under the supervision of experienced professionals.
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