Hafer’s renovation of the University of Southern Indiana’s Health Professions Center in Evansville enhances learning environments with state-of-the-art facilities, fostering an innovative educational experience for future healthcare leaders.

On a mission to upgrade and expand their ever-growing Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions, the University of Southern Indiana asked Hafer to design a renovation for the lower level and a majority of the first floor of the Health Professions Center. This project is the third phase of a multiphase renovation for the 30-year-old building.

Highlighting the state-of-the-art equipment that sets the university apart for its highly recognized programs, the renovation features subtle branding that reflects the university’s energetic and driven spirit, strategic lighting to keep the students engaged, and durable finishes that create a streamlined learning environment for the next generation of healthcare leaders. One of the most notable changes on the main level is the transformation of a multi-tiered lecture hall into a radiology suite, complete with new imaging machines and a large instructional space. Learning goes far beyond the classroom with a new Clinical Simulation Center with four patient rooms designed to simulate a different hospital setting: intensive care unit (ICU), emergency department, pediatric/maternity care and post-acute care. These simulation spaces allow students to learn with hands-on experiences, getting as close to real scenarios as possible to prepare them for their licensure examinations and careers.

The food and nutrition program gained a new teaching kitchen and food science lab that meets accreditation guidelines for students to learn the physical and chemical properties of food. The USI Dental Clinic, a real-world classroom where students, under faculty supervision, offer dental hygiene services to the public, was upgraded with a larger patient waiting room, modern dental equipment, flexible classroom spaces, and additional lab space that provides students with industry-specific experience with the only dental simulation lab in the state.

With these upgrades now complete, the new spaces are already reshaping healthcare education at the university. And, with the fourth and final phase of the renovation now under construction, the university is poised to soon offer a fully reimagined Health Professions Center designed to empower the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Design: Hafer
Contractor: Empire Contractors
Photography: Black Pixel Studios