John V. Marymont, M.D., M.B.A., vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Whiddon College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama, said the initial plan was to renovate and expand the existing Medical Sciences Building, constructed in 1974. However, a $60 million appropriation from U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, a $50 million earmark from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, and a $30 million gift from the University of South Alabama Foundation will allow for the construction of an all-new building.
“This project has been several years in the making,” Marymont said. “The process to get to this point has involved a lot of people and a tremendous amount of work. This new facility is well deserved for the quality of education we provide and the outstanding research we do here at the College of Medicine.”
The project goals are to bring research and education together in one building to encourage collaboration, provide state-of-the-art laboratory spaces that are flexible and efficient, expand capacity for students with modern education spaces, provide beautiful conference space to serve the entire USA community, and enhance the USA campus with a flagship 21st-century science building.
The nearly 300,000-square-foot facility is divided equally between education and research. The 67,563-square-foot education wing, which runs north and south, includes the gross anatomy suite, clinical skills lab, learning studios, small group rooms, a demonstration kitchen, interfaith space and other community spaces.
The 67,651-square-foot research wing, which runs east and west, is designed to optimize workspace for principal investigators. Open research laboratories are adaptable and allow for a multi-disciplined approach to research. The facility also includes 26,255 square feet of vivarium space, providing an efficient and flexible layout for animal models and dedicated procedure areas.
The College of Medicine community got a first look at plans for the new medical school building last fall at a town hall with the architects, New Orleans-based Eskew Dumez Ripple and global architecture firm Perkins&Will.
The two wings of the L-shaped building are “stitched in the corner with collision space,” explained Mark Ripple, principal-in-charge at Eskew Dumez Ripple, during the town hall presentation.
“This is a word that kept coming up again and again in the early workshops with stakeholders – the idea of collision,” Ripple said. “We love that word, because it’s not just casual interactions. In a collision, things happen, sparks are made, and energy is created. We are thrilled with the idea that we can create a facility where both research and education, which are often isolated by design, can come together and let the sparks fly.”
Architects drew inspiration from the university’s proximity to Mobile Bay and incorporated the concept of estuaries in the design.
“The Mobile Bay ecosystem is the reason for being in this city and ultimately this university,” said Christian Rodriguez, principal architect at Eskew Dumez Ripple. “Estuaries are this confluence of different natural features that can support an incredible degree of biodiversity. So rather than thinking about people colliding, let’s think about them coming together in really rich and productive ways.”
