Bloomfield Hills, Mich., April 22, 2016 — The $55 million renovation and addition of the Taubman Health Sciences Library (THSL) for the University of Michigan was recently granted LEEDä Gold Certification from the United States Green Building Council. TMP Architecture, Inc. of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, was architect of record, with Ballinger, of Philadelphia, as design architect for the project. The Christman Company served as General Contractor.
As the academic home of the University of Michigan Medical School, the THSL is completely renovated and re-designed to meet 21st Century medical education standards and accreditation requirements. The library now includes simulation suites, classrooms, collaboration labs and a variety of flexible study and meeting spaces. Patient care clinical suites and an Anatomage Table – a life-sized interactive visualization system – allow medical students to practice their developing skills in medical care.
Sustainable design strategies and concepts that contributed to the project’s LEED Gold Certification included: utilizing an existing structure rather than building new; the building’s urban site; utilization of a chilled beam air conditioning system; convenient campus transportation options; no water needed for landscape irrigation; water saving fixtures throughout, and interior items such as low VOC paint and recycled materials. The facility’s design is 30% more efficient than a contemporary building built to ASHRAE standards.
A new exterior wall includes nearly 18,000 square feet of low-e glass, which replaced former windowless brick walls. A resulting 2-story, naturally-lit lounge offers a tranquil, open and transparent environment for medical students and faculty to unwind.
About TMP Architecture, Inc.
TMP has offices in Bloomfield Hills and Portage, Michigan, producing a variety of projects for college/university, K-12 educational and municipal clients. Some of the firm’s current work under construction includes a fieldhouse renovation for Saint Clair County Community College, St. Clair, MI; a new Golf Practice Facility for Michigan State University in East Lansing, and the new Student Fitness Center for Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Michigan.