Located on the South edge of Mt. Tabor Park in Portland, Oregon, the new Nursing and Academic Building at Warner Pacific University  features many thoughtful interior spaces that prioritize both functionality, aesthetics and the user experience. The building harmoniously combines a classroom wing, an administrative wing, and a central atrium which serves as the primary social space for the building as well as the primary pathway into the heart of the campus.

WPU leadership had determined the new building’s location early in the design process, which made clear right away the most important issue:  how the building’s placement could be turned into an advantage for campus vitality and not a disadvantage.
The problem to solve was that the placement of the building created a barrier to pedestrian traffic into the heart of the campus.  The solution was to integrate a wide diagonal pathway through the building volume which would follow the line of site from the pedestrian drop-off point toward the entrance to Egtvegt Hall, essentially the center of campus life.  This diagonal pathway then became the opportunity for a lobby, a social space, cafe, lounge and atrium.  Essentially this became the heart of the new building which leads to
the heart of the campus.

The total building area is 43,000 square feet and includes a nurse training suite, skills lab, 8 classrooms, testing room, administrative suite, student lounge and roof terrace.

Design work provided for SDRA