Project Description
RDG’s design for the Creighton University School of Dentistry offered the opportunity to unite innovative learning and service spaces into a single, contemporary facility. Because the school offers a high level of care to many downtown area residents and particularly those in underserved populations, design discussions centered around how the space has the opportunity to provide enhanced services not only to the University and students but to the larger community. The new School of Dentistry increased the University’s patient capacity from 12,000 to 15,000 per year and expanded reach of its high-quality dental care, now serving as a beacon for the neighborhood.
From the onset of the project, the strategy centered around a goal to fulfill a “moral responsibility to care for creation.” Early on in project programming, the building was envisioned as an integrated connection between the campus and its urban context. In keeping with this vision, design for the school revitalizes an existing, developed site and engages the pedestrian, patients, students and faculty with street level access and amenities.
The four-level, state-of-the-art, 267,000 SF facility utilizes telemedicine and active learning environments in addition to the traditional didactic teaching pedagogy. Included are 138 adult clinic operatory chairs; 10 surgery and six acute care operatories with provision for 24/7 care services; 13 faculty practice operatories; and 15 pediatric/orthodontic operatories. Energy efficient glazing systems, an external sunscreen, and a motorized sun shading device controlled by the building automation system assist in maintaining a climate-controlled environment.