CL and Rachel

Werner Center

for Health

Sciences

Education

Client

Creighton University

Location

Omaha, NE

Size

148,450 SF

Completion date

December 2023

Design for the CL and Rachel Werner Center emphasizes interprofessional collaboration and brings physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physician assistants and EMS technicians together to learn and work under one roof.

Health Science Education

At the core of Creighton University's educational programs is the concept of 'Cura Personalis,' or the care of the whole person. RDG's longstanding collaborative partnership with Creighton began with a health science master planning effort in 2015 to develop and infuse interdisciplinary and interprofessional educational experiences across disciplines and curricula. The CL and Rachel Werner Center marks the third collaboration between Creighton and RDG, following award-winning designs for the School of Dentistry in Omaha and the Health Sciences Campus in Phoenix. As with the Phoenix campus, design for the CL and Rachel Werner Center emphasizes interprofessional collaboration and brings physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physician assistants and EMS technicians together to learn and work under one roof.

A forum space was conceived as a place for all users to utilize and collaborate with access to conference areas, technology wall, audio-visual connectivity and heads-down solutions.

The skywalk space was designed to provide circulation and additional collaboration space with a view.

The entry lobby utilizes the ceiling to help users navigate to the feature stair while creating a dynamic environment that changes over time.

A forum space is intended to support interprofessional collaboration and includes a 25’ digital wall, study group rooms and open flexible furniture.

The CL and Rachel Werner Center for Health Sciences Education serves as both the new front door to the University's Omaha campus and home of the School of Medicine and health sciences hub, with shared spaces for each of the University's health sciences schools and colleges. Featuring state-of-the-art learning spaces, including a centralized interdisciplinary simulation center and active group classrooms, the facility serves as a cutting-edge health sciences education destination for interprofessional education and practice. The health sciences facilities in Omaha and Phoenix employ both synchronous and asynchronous distance learning methods in flexible learning environments that are enhanced by technology.

Creighton originally broke ground on the building in the spring of 2021. RDG’s design encompasses 145,000 SF of student-focused classrooms and collaboration spaces and places dedicated to hands-on learning. Now the new home for Creighton’s School of Medicine, the facility is projected to serve an estimated 5,900 students, faculty, staff and visitors every year. Creighton's continuous investment in the expansion of its medical education facilities and programs positions the University as the largest Catholic health professions educator in the U.S.

Being a 24-hour facility offers a unique opportunity to connect to the community at multiple levels and allows for the building to transform throughout the day and the year. The elevation becomes a sectional display of the inner workings of the multiple programs within.

Photos by Michael Robinson Photography.

A small sculpture park tells the story of the University's mission. Visual connections are created to animate the building in the evening.

The skywalk between buildings emphasizes the connection between the existing program and the new environments. The forum floor provides this connection paired with a technology-rich environment and social space.