College of Health Professions Building
Unifying talent, programs, and technology, the College of Health Professions empowers students and faculty by integrating 11 departments into a cohesive academic community. Page’s high-performance approach fosters flexibility and interprofessional collaboration.
“Under one roof,” as VCU’s website puts it, tells a story of unity and connection—reuniting previously separated academic units. Every planning decision centers on creating collaborative academic neighborhoods, blurring disciplinary boundaries, and cultivating a true sense of community within an urban high-rise. Strategic adjacencies encourage cross-disciplinary interaction, shared teaching resources, and robust distance-learning technology.
Highly visible and just a few blocks from the state capitol, this project reflects VCU’s commitment to excellence in scholarship and improving patient outcomes. It also plays a key role in Richmond’s vision for a vibrant, mixed-use downtown.
Light-filled specialized spaces prepare the next generation of healthcare providers.
Integrated planning
VCU College of Health Professions graduates enter a rapidly evolving clinical world where integrated teams deliver patient-centered care. VCU’s master plan prepares students for these real-world experiences by intentionally fostering teamwork through side-by-side learning.
Collaboration shapes every aspect of this eight-story tower. Students, faculty, and researchers from multiple disciplines learn together, exchanging knowledge to advance patient care. Whether it's Nurse Anesthesia students practicing on simulators, Physical Therapy students refining mobility techniques, or researchers in the Biomechanics Lab developing next-generation healthcare devices, teamwork drives progress.
Light-filled specialized spaces prepare the next generation of healthcare providers.
Well-being
With a focus on wellness promotion, the college’s health educators wanted their building to “walk the walk,” designing it around three mission-driven principles: wellness, movement, and engagement.
The public lobby features an active, welcoming stairway that links the Community Gallery and the Interprofessional Simulation Center, encouraging healthy practices. A glass façade reinforces this sense of openness, visually connecting the warm, inviting interiors with the surrounding environment while showcasing the programs’ activities to the campus and city.
Ample daylight, thoughtful color choices, and natural materials highlight the softer aspects of healthcare, fostering physical and neurological wellness. The result is an environment that is vibrant yet comforting.
The College of Health Professions building embodies VCU’s commitment to preparing students to excel in their chosen fields by providing state-of-the-art facilities. It has quickly become a point of pride and a powerful recruitment tool for the university’s nationally ranked health programs.
Under one roof
Page collaborated closely with the VCU community to understand its pedagogical approach and the college’s unique culture of diversity and professionalism. Working within an accelerated schedule, the design team conducted multi-day workshops and established a dedicated project room on campus, fostering a transparent and responsive planning process. This approach enabled rapid feedback and the seamless resolution of key issues.
The organization and massing of the design reflect VCU’s commitment to uniting its departments while honoring each group’s distinct professional identity. The floor plans balance shared spaces for collaboration with dedicated areas that support formal and informal interactions. This integrated planning approach creates a dynamic learning environment where students, faculty, and researchers can thrive together—reinforcing teamwork and excellence in healthcare education.
Campus identity and sense of place
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“This building, which is gorgeous, is also incredibly functional, and it will allow us to train our students to work together and to collaborate so that they don’t just live in the silos of their disciplines.”Susan Parish, Ph.D.College of Health Professions Dean
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