Our Work / educational
University of Mississippi Medical Center
UMMC School of Medicine
Jackson, Mississippi
As the sole school of medicine in the state of Mississippi, UMMC has committed to expanding its undergraduate class size to at least 165 students a year (the current M1 enrollment class size is 136) with the goal of placing 1,000 new doctors 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 will be situated at the head of the expanding academic core, creating a significant presence on campus. The new building will provide an additional 151,000 square feet of varied multi-modal learning environments to the UMMC’s campus core.
The eighteen small-group classrooms are designed for a maximum of twenty-one students each. These learning environments are a departure from the traditional rows of fixed tablet chairs facing a lectern. Spaces can easily be converted from lecture mode, to teamwork style, to group presentation and discussion. The goal is for each seat to have maximum access to all media devices, and to offer the instructor the ability to facilitate the content. Network technology supports learning, and is integrated into the space providing each student access to shared flat-screen monitors. This allows collaborative teams the ability to share their information with the class.
The large team-focused, multi-modal auditoriums are dynamic spaces. They allow for grand rounds, guest lecture presentations, classroom activities, collaborative group interaction, and testing. Because of the many required functions, the auditoriums feature a large range of flexibility. The spaces are wider, more shallow, and less steep than a typical traditional lecture hall, allowing greater visual access to the content being presented in the front. The rooms’ configurations have slowly cascading tiers, allowing for every other row of people to swivel around – forming small groups at tables. Also, with non-fixed seats, the capacity of the room can easily be converted from a less dense testing environment to a more dense presentation environment.
The new School of Medicine is designed with the hot, humid Mississippi climate in mind. Glazing 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 will be laminated with low-emissivity coatings and all exterior walls will be densely insulated.
JV with CDFL
Educational 
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Guyton Research Complex Expansion
Jackson, Mississippi
The addition to the Arthur C. Guyton Research Building more than doubles the research laboratory space provided in the original building. A new public entry to the complex is provided at the north elevation. An eight story atrium space unifies the new and existing building at each level by connecting major corridors and public areas. The exterior materials match those of the surrounding building but are used in innovative ways to aid in attracting research personnel.
JV with Simmons Associates
Educational 
University of Mississippi Medical Center
School of Pharmacy
Jackson, Mississippi
Consolidation into a single structure will allow more efficient communication, interaction and create a distinctive new image for the program. The desire for natural light resulted in the basic L-shape footprint of two narrow wings with double located corridors. A future north-south oriented wing can be accommodated for expansion and will create a courtyard space for the site. The first floor houses office spaces for Administration, Education and Experimental with shared common, file and support spaces. The second floor is built out with Faculty Offices and laboratories. The first floor contains Problem Based Learning (PBL) classrooms, Student Offices and an indoor / outdoor Student Lounge. Faculty Offices, Resident Offices and the balance of PBL classrooms are located on the second floor. A 174-seat tiered Auditorium / Classroom is inserted into the east side of north south wing. At the intersection, a Student Lounge serves as break-out space for the Auditorium.
Educational 
