With an increasing demand in the nursing profession, the Sinclair School of Nursing at the University of Missouri sought to increase its enrollment and provide a facility with state-of-the-art resources to complement their teaching and research missions. The structural limitations of the existing building would not allow for the correct adjacencies, nor the interior volumes required for the new building program, so it was decided to construct a new building in the place of the existing.
The form of the new School of Nursing building relates to the adjacent School of Medicine building, while maximizing daylighting and taking advantage of the unobstructed views to the north. The basement foundations of the existing School of Nursing building were utilized to limit excavations for the new building and led to the development of a sunken courtyard concept that would bring daylight deep into the new basement level. This courtyard also provides students with a private space for gatherings and allows for secondary access to the building after hours. The façade of the building highlights the function of the interior spaces, providing the most transparency where light and views are needed and solid walls where it makes sense for internal function and thermal performance.
