Owens Community College School of Nursing

Project Strategy

Owens Community College boasts nationally-renowned healthcare programs on their campus in Perrysburg, Ohio, however, their previous facility did not compare to the standards set within their curriculums. To address the discrepancy, the college opted to transform a dated and uninhibited classroom and library building into a new state-of-the-art expanded nursing and medical professions school. The project consisted of working within the existing building constraints to create individual technical labs and classrooms for multiple medical professions, as well as the construction of five separate additions to accommodate faculty office spaces, conference rooms, and other support areas.
With extremely technical and specific needs for each program, and with clinical patients regularly receiving care, this educational setting also needed to lend itself to a professional medical atmosphere that was conducive to learning, while also being functional and welcoming for patients.
To achieve this interior objective, a fresh and neutral backdrop was proposed with a handful of accents to provide a calm, yet sophisticated color palette. The material selection complemented the interior aesthetic while also providing highly durable, cleanable, and safe surfaces. Part of the safety requirements for this project included defining zones within the labs and clinics. This was achieved through subtle contrast that also supported a calm environment.
Public student spaces took on more contrast, and with this was a different design challenge. The two most prominent spaces were the main entry concourse and student commons space. The main entry concourse began as a very wide corridor space with a high exposed pitched ceiling, dark brick walls, and poor lighting. The design team was tasked with creating a bright and welcoming entry point that would not only usher students into this new facility, but also provide functional use of the large square footage. The inspiration for this space was pulled from the idea of a bouncing ball leaving a trail of light on all surfaces of the voluminous space. From there, the angular floor pattern took shape with contrasting rubber colorways and carpet tile insets to define small touchdown stations and sitting areas. The result, this once dark and dingy hallway evolved into a dynamic architectural feature.
The second public student space, the student commons area, highlighted a tall ceiling with a more boat-shaped floor plan. With such a large open area, the flooring and furniture both played an integral role in shaping the functionality and flow of the room. A rubber tile pathway was installed around the perimeter and set the framework for an angular carpet tile pattern, with eight coordinating carpet tile styles incorporated throughout, creating interest with the flooring while also bringing together the full color scheme of the entire facility in this centrally located space.
Other notable areas with subtle or less-subtle design elements included the office suites, which feature a field carpet tile with a coordinating accent and a contrasting patterned tile to create a subtle yet interesting transition from the long corridor into each private faculty office; the labs and clinics with multiple sheet vinyl products utilized to designate patient and healthcare provider/student zones; and lastly, the restrooms, bringing in larger format floor and wall tile to provide architectural interest and highly cleanable and durable surfaces.
With just a short time in their new facility, the faculty and students at Owen Community College have adjusted seamlessly to their new spaces. The design for the interior environment, including color palette and finish selections, work hand-in-hand with the functionality of the spaces and provide an elevated facility that more than complements the program curriculums and standards.