The building will span 50,000 square feet covering three floors and will comprise advanced research area. It will don an open-plan concept with its design offering maximum natural light penetration.
The building’s first level will facilitate student services housing classrooms, a teaching lab and a gathering space for students. The remaining two stories will feature dedicated space for nursing faculty researchers and Ph.D. students working in fields of chronic illness and healthy lifestyles. In addition, the property will incorporate various green features abiding by LEED standards. The facility will be the first on the campus to make use of ground-source geothermal energy to meet its heating and cooling needs.
Timothy and Bernadette Marquez Foundation have committed $7 million for the project. The expansion of the college also received $7.45 million in stimulus funding grant from the National Institutes of Health which is the largest competitive federal stimulus grant received by the University. A grand opening for the new facility is slated for 2 November 2012.
