The project is a flagship for the future of health education. “UCI is creating a national “one-health” model for discovery, teaching, and healing that brings together the strengths of the disciplines of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and population health,” said vice chancellor for health affairs, Steve Goldstein. “These two new buildings, part of our expanded health sciences campus, are designed to foster the creation of the diverse healthcare workforce of tomorrow. The facilities are built to enable interprofessional education and a future of team-based care that benefits from healthcare providers that operate in synchrony to support health and wellness.”

Design strategies for the new buildings on the UCI campus were strongly influenced by biophilia, the human tendency to interact with other forms of life in nature, and attention to wellness at all scales. Occupant access to light, air, views of vegetation and water, and other considerations, all support the overall mission of the complex and the schools.

The health science complex includes a 150-seat auditorium, a central courtyard that connects with the existing Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, landscape design elements that support activities such as yoga and tai chi, a Zen garden, and a 600-foot-long wellness walk that leads to the School of Medicine’s Biomedical Research Center.