The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center recognizes that the future of academic medicine requires an environment that unites research, education, and clinical care to improve health outcomes and meet the needs of a growing community. Their vision was to create a 21st-century health sciences district that strengthens interdisciplinary collaboration while celebrating each college’s unique identity. Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv | Tsoi Kobus Design’s design achieves this by establishing an integrated academic medical environment that aligns the Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry, Optometry, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health with the Medical Center through thoughtful adjacencies and shared resources.
The plan connects clinical, research, and teaching facilities into a coordinated network that balances dedicated spaces with collaborative hubs, supporting translational medicine by pairing research institutes directly with their clinical partners. Each phase builds on the last, maintaining continuous operation while strengthening connections across programs. Through strategic site planning and a focus on open and accessible spaces, the design promotes interaction, expands greenspace, and maximizes natural light, creating a flexible and future-ready campus that improves both individual and collective experiences in the health sciences.
The Site and Facilities Plan is a phased redevelopment, modernization, and expansion of a 7,000,000 SF academic medical center across a 75-acre campus. The plan replaced and reorganized more than 40 aging buildings to support a projected doubling of space, enabling full integration of research, clinical, and educational functions. It also introduced a centralized Health Sciences Education Center that includes shared classrooms, simulation labs, auditoria, and student amenities, while positioning each college with a visible and meaningful presence on a new academic quadrangle. Strategic adjacencies connected research institutes with their clinical partners, such as the cancer research center next to the cancer hospital, advancing OSU’s commitment to the translational medical model. Existing buildings were repurposed for dry research, administrative offices, and faculty spaces, allowing capital investments to prioritize high-performance clinical and wet research facilities. Sustainable design strategies focused on daylighting, greenspace, and adaptable infrastructure to support future growth. Â黨ÐÇ¿Õmv | Tsoi Kobus Design provided architecture and master planning services.
