COMMONWEALTH MED COLLEGE BREAKS GROUND FOR NEW BUILDING

SCRANTON, PA. — Scranton-based The Commonwealth Medical College has broken ground for the development of its new 185,000-square-foot Medical Sciences Building. Designed by the New York office of HOK in association with Highland Associates, the building will house education and research facilities. Features include biomedical laboratories, a gross anatomy lab, simulation rooms, standardized patients’ rooms and a 250-seat auditorium. The west research wing and the east educational wing will surround a shared courtyard. The building also will contain additional student common areas, a café, and a bookstore. In addition, the project will include sustainable features such as rainwater collection, heat recovery systems, CO2 and occupancy sensors, high performance glazing, integrated daylight control, and the use of local stone and indigenous landscaping. Completion is scheduled for 2011.