The building’s exterior is centered around two architectural “lanterns” to figuratively light the way to and around Volunteer Boulevard. These details are inspired by the guiding flame held by the university’s famed “Torchbearer” statue located across the street from the new building. The floor-to-ceiling glass façades flood the building’s interior with natural light and complement the broader exterior palette of custom, campus-blend brick and limestone.

Inside, vibrant experiential graphic design elements direct occupants and tell the story of the Volunteer nurse. Accents of the University’s unmistakable orange hue are juxtaposed with calming, hand-painted murals of the Smoky Mountains. Prominently displayed along the main lobby stair is the Volunteer creed, inspiring all to rise up and “give light to others” above oneself.

Intentionally located to highlight learning on display, classrooms and laboratories are spacious and adaptable to meet the evolving pedagogical needs of students and professors. Designed to encourage various modalities for instruction, technology and furnishings emphasize scalability and mobility. Hybrid and remote training for competency-based learning is built into the building’s DNA.

The state-of-the-art wet laboratory is designed for nurse scientists to capitalize on the value of interprofessional collaboration. The adjacent Innovation Room can host cross-disciplinary think-tanks and display ongoing research initiatives to catalyze creativity and real-world problem solving.

Approximately one-third of the building is dedicated to simulation, enabling students to build skills in safe and realistic clinical environments. Student nurses can interact with high-fidelity manikins guided by trained technicians, then debrief immediately after with instructors for ample, cumulative feedback.

Spread across the second and third floors are:

• two 12-table physical assessment labs;
• an acute care hospital ward with eight patient rooms, including two outfitted for bariatric and labor/delivery scenarios;
• a primary care suite with eight exam rooms; and
• a smart-home apartment that doubles as a lounge for standardized patients.

Informal gathering areas are dispersed throughout the building to create inviting spaces where students can quietly study or build community. Strategically placed amidst the simulation suites at the third floor is a private student commons that features soft seating and upholstered bench niches, all of which have stunning views of the primary Neyland Stadium facade. On game days, students can catch a bird’s eye view of the Vol Walk, a one-of-a-kind campus tradition.