IU Board Approves Construction Projects
(photo courtesy of Indiana University)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana University Board of Trustees has approved two construction projects for its campuses at IUPUI and Bloomington. The approval includes a new medical education building that will be included as part of the $1.6 billion project to consolidate IU Health Methodist and University hospitals in downtown Indianapolis.
The IU School of Medicine Medical Education Building will be co-located with a new IU Health Flexible Platform of Care facility on the expanded Indy campus. IU says the building will feature classrooms, offices and related support space, a new anatomy lab, and a surgical skills lab that will accommodate robotics.
The 323,000-square-foot building will be a new primary site for medical education programs with primary research labs remaining on the medical campus adjacent to IUPUI. The university says the building will also include 77,000 square feet of shell space it can use to build out for future research needs.
“This new facility will create learning communities to foster closer connections between students and faculty, introduce leading-edge educational technology, provide room for research growth and further strengthen our close relationship with IU Health,” said Dr. Jay Hess, dean of IU School of Medicine.
The board also approved the renovation of the more than 70-year-old Joseph A. Wright Quadrangle on the Bloomington campus. IU says the project will upgrade building and life safety systems at the more than 1,000-bed student housing facility, including the installation of central air conditioning.
The project will also feature upgrades to selected kitchen equipment, an accessible entrance with an elevator, as well as new windows, security card access systems, flooring in student rooms and corridors, ceilings and accessible and all-gender restrooms as part of the residential wings.
“Part of putting students first on our campus is ensuring that the more than 12,000 students who live on campus can do so in updated, functional, accessible spaces,” said John Applegate, interim IU Bloomington provost and executive vice president. “Living on campus means far more than housing and food. We know that living on campus helps students to perform better academically, develop community-building skills, and challenge themselves to grow personally in spaces that support their overall well-being.”
The first phase of the project will be complete in the 2022-23 academic year, with the second phase set for completion during the following year. IU says about half of the facility will be in use during each phase.
