The latest in learning

Changing technologies mean breakthroughs in
high-tech nursing education in Ohio’s Appalachia

BY TODD WILLIAMS

When noted American architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, who was hired by Thomas Jefferson to design the White House and the U.S. Capitol, planned the home of one of Ohio’s first two U.S. senators and its sixth governor, Thomas Worthington, he included large, impressive spaces for public events.
On the other side of the Scioto River near Chillicothe just east of that circa-1807 grand mansion named Adena, or “delightful place” in Hebrew, is another impressive building designed with attention to large public spaces as well. Architect Elliott Bonnie of the Columbus firm DesignGroup, designed the PACCAR Medical Education Center around a soaring glass public atrium providing unparalleled views of pastoral farmland framing the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. In fact, local residents say the view is identical to that seen from the porch of the Worthington Mansion found on the Great Seal of the State of Ohio.
As Latrobe included a multitude of useful spaces in Worthington’s mansion that were usually found in outbuildings during this early American period such as a kitchen, offices and storage rooms, Bonnie’s medical education building includes such spaces as a virtual hospital, surgical labs, high tech classrooms and a spacious auditorium, all under one roof. It’s also interesting to note that when DesignGroup was commissioned to design the PACCAR Medical building, the owners asked that their atrium feature an open space similar to that in the modern welcome center at the Worthington mansion’s museum.

Soaring design
Located on the campus of the 250-bed Adena Medical Center, a regional hospital serving the Chillicothe area, the 39,600-sf building is designed to provide first class nursing education collaboratively with the hospital, Ohio University, Wright State University and other partner institutions in the region, according to Bonnie. He explains that since most nursing school graduates tend to stay in the area where they graduate, this education center is real boon for the Chillicothe area, helping attract and retain nurses. “This building was created as a brand new school of nursing. It is also a continuing education center for nurses, doctors and staff. Multiple uses of the facility include a conference center, a research facility and an outreach center for the local community,” the architect explains.
“This teaching center has allowed us to offer a Bachelor of Science of Nursing degree program through Wright State Miami College of Nursing and Health,” notes Dr. John Gabis, executive director of the new facility. Of the total $15 million cost for the center, $10 million was funded by the Adena Health System; $4 million from federal, state, and local government and other sources; and $1 million provided by the PACCAR Foundation. PACCAR, Gabis points out, is the parent corporation of Kenworth Truck Company, which has a factory across the road from the medical education center.
Focal point for the two-story teaching facility on its 16-acre site is the 36-ft high clear span atrium featuring a multi sectional glass and metal staircase, porcelain tile floor, glass curtain walls and a unique ceiling. Manufactured by Armstrong Ceilings, Lancaster, PA, from electrogalvinized steel, the two-ft by two-ft MetalWorks Effects suspended ceiling system features a realistic maple finish embedded into the ceiling panels to eliminate delaminating problems. The Columbus-based Cleveland Construction Company installed it.
According to Ben Zak, project manager for the construction manager, Danis Building Construction Company, Dublin, the atrium’s sloping roof line gives the building a profile setting it apart from other structures on the Adena campus. “The full, high curtain walls in the lobby allow visitors very scenic views of the area. The building is a very iconic structure, especially since it is located at the entrance to the campus,” Zak says. He notes the building also stands out because of its exposed metal roof beams, glass curtain walls, metal panel shingles and grey Indiana limestone banding.

High-tech teaching
Inside, this structure is a technological masterpiece. Centerpiece of the teaching facility is the unique David Meade Massie Virtual Hospital. This is an exact duplicate of a real, working hospital, complete with its own operating room, intensive care room and two patient rooms. The hospital is equipped with sophisticated Medical Education Technology, Inc. mannequins simulating more than 70,000 actual human patient responses to medications, tests and treatments, according to Gabis. “These human simulators assist students and other healthcare providers with mastering new skills and are a critical component to the virtual hospital,” he says.
The entire virtual hospital, according to the architect, is of a linear design and monitored from a central station along one side of the area. Here, teachers can monitor the human response mannequins and record the teaching experience with a series of cameras and microphones, broadcasting the information via distance learning center to remote classrooms. Along with this state-of-the-art facility are other technologically advanced classrooms, surgical labs, service rooms and a 200-plus-seat auditorium than can be divided into two rooms.

Silver LEED
Recently, the PACCAR facility was awarded a LEED Silver certification. Bonnie cited some of the sustainable features of this teaching center. “One of the unique aspects of the site was the way we created a wetlands area on the Adena campus. The building is situated on the low end of the campus at the entrance. In the past, runoff water from the hill was sent into the city sewer system. We designed and implemented a campus drainage system that sends all the water into newly created wetlands, thus eliminating water going into the sewer. We designed a one acre pond that traps the water and drains it through a weir and into a bioswale with drought and flood-resistant native plants that stop erosion and filter runoff water,” Bonnie explains.
Other elements to the LEED certification, Bonnie points out, include a 30% water usage reduction compared to the baseline for buildings of this type; the use of highly efficient chillers, boilers, motors and variable frequency devices to reduce overall energy consumption; a reduction in the overall quantity of materials used and the use of environmentally friendly and sustainable materials; the use of an underfloor air distribution system to improve thermal comfort and provide a more efficient air distribution as well as a space to run wiring; sensors for the lighting and HVAC systems; beefed up insulation; low E glass; and the use of innovative signage design incorporated into an educational outreach program highlighting the building’s sustainable features to encourage local green building.
Gabis is very proud of the LEED kudos and the facility in general. “You look at this facility and there is a ‘wow’ factor to it. It’s a very visually pleasing building and a great place to work. And because the environment is important to me, the LEED certification is very outstanding,” Gabis notes. He adds the new facility will go along way to “attract the best and brightest students in Appalachia and keep them here.” BXM

Todd Williams is a leading architectural photographer and writer in the state.

Owner: Adena Regional Medical Center
Architect: DesignGroup
CM: Danis Building Construction Co.
Size: 39,600-sf
Cost: $15 million
Vendors:
n Korda/Nemeth Engineering, MEP/structural/civil
engineer
n Kinzleman Kline Gossman, landscape architect
n Heapy Engineering, commissioning agent
n Geotechnical Consultants, Inc., geotechnical