Ayers Saint Gross programmed and designed a state-of-the-art facility to accommodate enrollment growth, sustain academic excellence, promote a culture of well-being, and meet Georgia’s demand for more nursing graduates. The building program was refined to reflect the school’s goals by connecting high-technology simulation suites to classrooms and providing the Center for Caring, nursing education theater, student commons, and event spaces. Through a series of conversations with the University of West Georgia about virtual simulation and capitalizing on momentum from the building design process, Ayers Saint Gross was able to repurpose the architectural building information model (BIM) for use in a virtual environment. Unity 3D, a simulation and video game engine, was chosen as a base for the simulation due to its multi-platform capabilities and “open source” nature.

For more information, read this article entitled Best Practices in Nursing School Design.