New Med School ‘Just What the Doctor Ordered’

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — An opening ceremony for the School of Medicine Research building at the University of California, Riverside was held in March, setting a standard for sustainable laboratory design at the university.

 

Founding medical school Dean G. Richard Olds said at the ceremony that the school aims to build a partnership with the community to expand the physician workforce and improve healthcare access to underserved communities.

 

The facility is the first public medical school opened in California in more than 40 years, Olds said.

 

The three-story, 58,000-square-foot building is designed to meet LEED Silver standards, according to school officials.

 

It maximizes natural daylighting and a “night flushing” cooling system to take advantage of cool nighttime air to reduce energy usage for air conditioning. In addition, a portion of the building materials were made of recycled content, and the landscaping was designed with water efficiency in mind.

 

The school aims to train a diverse workforce of physicians who are more likely to live and practice in the communities where they receive their training, according to officials.

 

“If I could steal a phrase, this is just what the doctors ordered,” said Steve Larson, chairman and CEO of Riverside Medical Clinic.