Furthering Patient-centred Healthcare while Prioritizing the Campus Experience for Durham’s Students

Designed as a bridge between industry and students, the LEED® Gold-certified Centre for Collaborative Education (CfCE) at Durham College reflects the college’s commitment to collaborating with local business and community partners.

The five-storey, 80,000 sq. ft. Centre for Collaborative Education houses light-filled, flexible spaces designed to accommodate a wide variety of programs and student needs. The building promotes the College’s values of collaboration and progressive pedagogy with active learning classrooms and components. These include patient-care laboratories and a spa suite that further patient-centred, inter-professional healthcare. Accelerator spaces aimed towards creating experiential learning opportunities have a hive-like atmosphere, fostering collaborative learning and invention, engaging industry, and facilitating market innovations.

The CfCE benefits from an agile design. strategic, optimized planning provides a highly rational and functional layout and an efficient net to gross ratio. Corridors were purposefully designed to accommodate informal study and social spaces. Moveable sound-attenuated walls allow for adaptability and flexibility in programming.

A vital component of the CfCE is the Patient Care Laboratories located on the fourth floor of the building. This 20,000 sq. ft. interior fit-out provides nursing labs, research, office, and support spaces. Reflecting the institution’s commitment to experiential learning, the project offers a state-of-the-art simulation lab that provides hands-on training space for nursing students. It is equipped with patient simulators, so that students can learn vital signs assessment, medication administration, wound care, intravenous initiation, and maintenance.

Architecture Counsel in joint venture with Montgomery Sisam Architects.

Image courtesy of Durham College.