Elgin Community College Health and Life Sciences Building

Creating an inspirational learning experience for allied health students

Elgin, Illinois

Facing a future critical shortage of allied health professionals and outmoded educational facilities, Elgin Community College commissioned Kahler Slater as the health sciences expert to work with local firm Kluber Architects + Engineers to program and design a state-of-the-art Health and Life Sciences Building. The goal was to create an educational center that would offer real-world, hands-on, experiential learning opportunities for students in nursing, radiology, dental assistance, histology, surg. tech., massage and physical therapies, as well as classrooms for the core academic coursework.

The resulting design provides much more, offering a center for community, inspiration and enduring friendships among students, alumni, instructors and professors and local employers who draw from Elgin Community College’s graduates for decades to come. The program includes laboratories, simulation, classroom, PT/OT and student collaboration spaces.

Opened in spring 2012, the Health Careers Center of Excellence gathers students from all allied health careers studies in one facility – and foster relationships that will last a lifetime. The building’s open, glass-clad design offers a striking gateway to the college – one that will literally serves as a landmark for the community. Designed to be transparent in almost every way, the Health and Life Sciences Building celebrates the future of health care in Elgin and to the future of well-trained health care providers for the community.

Academic Health Sciences Experiences