Building Floorplans

At basement level, below grade, will be the Immersive and Simulation Learning Center, a state-of-the-art facility that will offer a full range of simulation and immersive activities, from actor-based standardized patient exercises to hospital simulations. The basement floor is divided into thirds for each of the simulation modalities. Movable partitions are strategically deployed to enable the facility to accommodate large-scale scenarios such as emergency preparedness and mass casualty scenarios.

Students will have the opportunity to hone their diagnostic and treatment skills using realistic, reactive computerized mannequins that look, act, feel, and respond like living human beings. A simulated but fully equipped operating room, emergency bays , intensive care unit, and other clinical settings complete with these sophisticated artificial patients will offer the newest, most effective methods to teach practical skills and medical procedures. A full-scale virtual theater will give students the opportunity to experience life-sized, 3-D images of all aspects of the human body, from gross anatomical to molecular representations. The part task trainer suite will house both mechanical and virtual reality trainers to mimic and teach specific procedures and skills. The trainers will also be used along with the standardized patients in a mock clinic equipped with six regular exam rooms, four larger exam rooms and two acute care/exam rooms. 

The first level will offer a welcoming reception area and include three lecture halls, a public café and a bookstore. The bookstore will be situated along the north south Discovery Walk, offering an opportunity to pick up School of Medicine souvenirs, a quick snack or drink, a jump drive, or a latest bestseller. Across from the bookstore are two traditional case-style tiered lecture halls furnished with fixed strip tables, movable chairs, and multiple screens that offer the use of a full range of presentation and video conferencing teaching technologies. Innovation is the hallmark of the third large teaching area, a studio lecture theater, where high-tech tools facilitate small group projects and interactive learning in a large group setting. A café will provide a social hub for the building and a natural gathering spot for students and faculty. The café will have three levels of food service to respond to the long and varied hours the students keep so that some kind of food is available 24 hours a day.


The second level of the Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge will house a full-scale conference center entered via a grand staircase at the front and back of the building. The center will offer a large flat floored theater with seating for up to 350 people, or divisible into three separate rooms each with a seating capacity of 100 persons. The movable seating and tables are augmented with telescopic theater seating, providing the option of tiered viewing for performance and special events. Contiguous with the theater are four breakout rooms, each seating 30 people, as well as a self-service business center, storage space, a green room for speaker preparation and a conference center manager’s office.  On weekends and evenings, classrooms throughout the building may be used to supplement breakout space on the conference center floor. Surrounding the theater is the conference center pre-function and lobby area, where spirited conversations may occur on one evening, an academic debate may be underway on the next, and the school’s holiday party will be held on a third. The long glass walls on the east and north sides of the conference center floor provide natural light and transparency into the building, highlighting the hub of activity. The wrap-around balcony on the second floor continues the indoor/outdoor theme developed on the first floor.

The third level provides a transition from lively public spaces to quieter areas that include the dean’s office suite, Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge support staff offices, executive meeting facilities, and several seminar rooms. The executive meeting facilities include an elegant and technologically sophisticated boardroom for school, hospital, university, and community leadership meetings. The boardroom is located next to pantry and catering facilities and the alumni library. Each of the seminar rooms seat 30 persons in one configuration and is also divisible into two rooms of 15 persons to enable a wide range of small group learning formats.












The fourth floor or loft will house student facilities, creating a seamless social, professional, and academic experience for students. These facilities will include a fitness center with showers, lockers and “nap pods”; an entertainment area that will include a giant video screen with surround sound, pool table or foosball, and a kitchenette and lounge. There will also be a wide variety of study areas including open and banquette seating, a quiet computer cluster, soft seating, small group study rooms, a project rehearsal area, and a traditional quiet reading room. A special area will be provided for quiet, tranquil reflection free from all technology. A secured clinical workspace area will be available for medical students to chart patient encounters and discuss medical cases. An open patio balcony furnished with a variety of seating groups and tables, and planted with small shrubs and flower in planter boxes will take full advantage of the view of the mountains. Finally, a dedicated data center will complete the fourth floor.