Facilities Planning for Diverse Use

At the center of the University of Utah’s Health Sciences campus, a new School of Medicine Building is redefining how medical education, research, and clinical care come together. Rising along a key campus crest, the project establishes an academic focal point while revitalizing a previously understated campus entry and framing views of the Wasatch Mountains.

VCBO, in collaboration with The Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign, is designing the building as a hub for learning and discovery. Dynamic education environments include adaptive classrooms, a state-of-the-art advanced simulation center, a gross anatomy lab, and shared spaces that support both formal instruction and informal knowledge exchange. A multistory forum anchors the interior, providing a central gathering space for large presentations, events, and daily interaction among students and faculty.

Tucked between the existing hospital, nursing school, and medical library, the steeply sloped site rises more than 40 feet from south to north. The design responds with a series of outdoor terraces at each level, integrating the building into the landscape while encouraging student wellness, social connection, and learning beyond the classroom, with expansive views across the Salt Lake basin.