KCUMB Center for Medical Education Innovation

OWNER

Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Construction Cost: $33 million

Completion Date: 2020

Project Size:
56,000 SF
4 levels
167 parking spaces

KCUMB Center for Medical Education Innovation

Kansas City
Missouri

Opening in 2020, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences (KCUMB) is constructing a state-of-the-art facility known as the Center for Medical Education Innovation. This center is a teaching simulation facility capable of staging various events to prepare the university’s Osteopathic students for real-time scenarios, catapulting KCUMB to the forefront of medical education in the region. 

Walter P Moore worked closely with design architect, CO Architects, and production architect, Helix Architecture + Design, to facilitate ideas and communication across the project team. We utilized digital workflows to respond promptly to design iterations, which allowed us to provide several design options for the team to consider and implement. Not only did we need to provide options to ensure we met the architects’ vision, but the project had a fixed budget. Our approach confirmed that we provided the best performing and most economical solution possible.

One example of our collaboration can be found in the façade of the southwest corner of the building. The architect wanted a very thin profile with vertical fins that would protrude from the structure, span two stories in height and rest on a band that wrapped around the building. This band needed to carry the load of the fins – meaning that to achieve the architects’ desired aesthetic, the depth of the band was dependent upon how thin we could design the supporting structural steel, while still carefully balancing the tension and defection requirements of the fins.  

Another challenge faced by the team was the poor soil conditions and highly variable rock profile. We worked closely with the construction manager and geotechnical engineer, who determined that using auger cast piles appeared to be the most efficient and economical foundation system to accommodate such a difficult site. By modeling the bedrock profile, we used our digital workfow to optimize the pile layout for the site. Additionally, as construction progressed, we encountered soil conditions that were unsuitable for auger cast piles, and using our existing digital workfow, we were able to design drilled piers quickly to substitute the piles. 

Walter P Moore’s dedication to creative solutions when working with the architectural team allowed for the project to be completed on time and within budget – resulting in a facility that is unmatched in the region and will ensure KCUMB’s Osteopathic program as a leader in the industry.