Building Recognized for Architectural Excellence

Awards continue for the new School of Nursing and Student Community Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

The building at 6901 Bertner Ave. has been honored by chapters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for its groundbreaking design.

Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh McDowell Architects (BNIM), the Kansas City-based company that designed the eight-story building with associate architectural firm Lake Flato Architects of San Antonio, has received the AIA Kansas City chapter's Honor Award for its imaginative design, which incorporated largely earth-friendly building materials and a dedication to sustainability. The project also received the 2004 AIA Kansas City Committee on the Environment Award, part of a newly created program recognizing design excellence that integrates architecture, technology and natural systems. In addition, BNIM claimed the 2004 AIA Kansas Honor Award, given by the state's AIA chapter, for the building's design.

The largest academic "green" building in the Southwest, the $57 million structure features a bookstore, cafe, an auditorium that accommodates 200 people, a skills lab with 32 beds, 12 individual patient rooms, an entire floor devoted to nursing research, a sleep lab, student government offices, a student lounge, quiet study areas, and enough classroom space to seat 880 students.

By Shannon Rasp, Public Affairs