EGH Architects Wins 2018 Merit Design Award

Eley Guild Hardy Architects (EGH), in association with CDFL Architects + Engineers, P.A., was awarded the 2018 Merit Design Award for the design of the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) School of Medicine by the Mississippi chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

As the sole school of medicine in the state of Mississippi, UMMC has committed to expanding its undergraduate class size from 135 to 185 students a year with the goal of placing 1,000 new doctors in the State by 2025. The school has never had a centralized location or image of its own, and current teaching spaces are interspersed throughout the campus. UMMC’s first dedicated School of Medicine building is situated at the head of the expanding academic core, creating a significant presence on campus. The new building will provide an additional 152,000 square feet of varied multi-modal learning environments to the UMMC’s campus core.

In order to blend the new construction with the existing facilities, the design team drew inspiration from the original teaching hospital constructed in 1953 by incorporating the ‘brise soleils’ technique to the exterior to harmonize the architectural language of the facilities as well as providing sun shading.

The new School of Medicine has been designed with the Mississippi climate in mind. All glass on the south side of the building is shaded in the summer by large solar fins. Glass on the east and west sides of the building has been kept to a minimum, and recessed when possible. All glass is coated with low-e coatings and all exterior walls are insulated.

About EGH Architects

Eley Guild Hardy Architects, P.A. (EGH) is an award-winning architecture and interior design firm with offices in Biloxi and Jackson, Mississippi. EGH was founded in 1953 on the principle of providing comprehensive professional services and excellent design. Learn more at eleyguildhardy.com/about/our-story.