Breaking Ground on a Ground-up Medical School

How many people does it take to build a new medical school from the ground up? Right now, Sam Houston State University (SHSU) is accomplishing that with eight, select employees. While the university is currently hiring, those key people just celebrated the groundbreaking of the new College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM). They worked closely with the project team on architectural and engineering designs as well as the development of construction schedules while simultaneously guiding the to-be institution through the accreditation process. Page is proud to be part of this significant effort to increase medical access in rural Texas.

The SHSU COM is the third ground-up medical school to be built in the state of Texas in this decade. The Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin, which opened in 2016, is also a Page project. The firm was part of The University of Texas at Austin Medical District Master Plan project team and served as the design architect for the first structure, the Health Learning Building. Page also served as architect of record in association with ZGF Architects on the additional two buildings, the Health Transformation and the Health Discovery Buildings, as well as a parking garage.

Due to the geographic size of the state of Texas and its population clusters, rural healthcare access is limited. Sam Houston State University envisions graduates of its school of medicine playing a role in emphasizing wellness through health promotion and disease prevention by integrating the patient into the healthcare process as a partner. While osteopathic doctors can be found in all types of environments and specialties, the majority follow the osteopathic tradition of primary care.

Sam Houston State University awarded the prime architectural and engineering contract for its College of Osteopathic Medicine in June of 2018 to Page, in association with The SLAM Collaborative, a nationally recognized medical school planning and architecture firm. Substantial completion is anticipated by December of 2019. Page is pleased to again play a role in advancing healthcare delivery through design that makes lives better.