Smaller project, bigger impact
The undergraduate nursing program at Seattle Pacific University (SPU) is one of the most successful programs in the region. The School of Health Sciences was located in an inadequate, decades-old, remodeled dorm in the center of campus. The university needed a new home to enhance their medical education offering. Miller Hull worked closely with SPU through a three-part feasibility study to explore other locations for the building, which resulted in moving the school into another existing structure along the Ship Canal. Miller Hull led the design of this tenant improvement to create a space that allows the program to grow, sending more qualified nurses to hospitals in the Seattle area.
As a Christian university, SPU trains its nursing students to be experts in array of complex medical tasks using a kind a gentle approach that aligns with their faith and beliefs. Miller Hull designed the new facility to better align with their approach and satisfy program needs, housing several student and faculty gathering spaces, four active learning classrooms, faculty offices, two skills labs and a state-of-the-art simulation suite. The upgraded School of Health Sciences will give students the ability to do simulations and perfect their practice, so they can spend their clinical time supporting and connecting with patients.