Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education

The Opportunity

The Gail P. Riepe Center offers cutting-edge research and laboratory facilities for the next generation of veterinarians to hone their craft in a bucolic setting. Offering space to study fidelity models of large animals, the center seamlessly merges indoor and outdoor spaces, enhancing student engagement, faculty teaching, and overall wellness tailored to meet the evolving needs of veterinary education.

Our Approach

KSS designed a new academic building for the campus, emphasizing advanced teaching methods to create a student-friendly environment. At the start, we outlined three project goals: multimodal learning, engagement, and site sensitivity. These goals improved education by positively impacting students and faculty, enhancing community engagement by delivering a holistic and thriving educational environment, and creating a cohesive indoor-outdoor space by focusing on placemaking and thoughtful connections. The project is divided into two wings: one focused on classroom and informal learning spaces and the other housing the simulation laboratory, positioned around an outdoor courtyard. The academic building prioritizes experiential learning within a natural setting, integrating vernacular forms, materials, and a biophilic approach. Features such as clerestory windows, the use of natural materials, and framed views of the landscape foster student engagement and well-being, create a thriving educational environment.

Program

Student-focused informal learning spaces, multi-modal active learning classroom, simulation laboratory, fabrication shop, seminar rooms, kitchen, office