Florida State University Medical School Building/Tallahassee, Florida

Architect
Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum/Tampa, Florida
and
Elliot Marshall Innes, PA/Tallahassee, Florida

Owner
Florida Board of Education/Tallahassee, Florida

Size/Cost
226,000 sf/$51.2 million

TLC Services
M/E

Florida State University’s new College of Medicine is the state’s first new medical school in 35 years. With its stately brick facade and prime location at the northwest corner of the campus, the Medical School complex is also a prominent gateway to FSU. Three new buildings surround a cloister garden: the four-story education/administration building with facilities for first and second year medical students, the four-story research building with 48 high-tech labs, and the 300-seat auditorium.

Specialized mechanical and electrical systems meet the unique needs of the research building, which houses a biosafety level (BSL) 3 laboratory for the study of infectious diseases caused by airborne pathogens. As dictated by the Centers for Infectious Disease and Prevention in Atlanta, the lab’s mechanical system provides high degrees of filtration, contamination control, and tolerance pressurization and high-precision instrumentation for the control and verification of environmental conditions. Specialty equipment and systems in the other labs include cadaver storage containers, continual-exhaust hoods, biosafety cabinets, 100-percent air exchange, and a high volume of air movement, 15 times per hour.

The vivarium uses a separate water purification system connected to a well to accommodate marine life and animals that require non-chlorinated water. The ductwork serving the laboratories is made of stainless steel to prevent corrosion. Backup heating and cooling systems serve the research spaces in the event of a power loss.

The complex is equipped with the latest in medical information technology and wireless communications systems, including specialized video and teaching assistance tools for the teaching labs, laptop computers and handheld personal digital assistants. Classroom tables are wired with electrical outlets for recharging batteries and data ports. Students can also access a wireless network inside the building and in the outdoor courtyard.