Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine

Technology Security Infrastructure for New Medical Campus and Urban Development Anchor

Ohio University’s (OU) Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (HCOM) is building a new $65 million home on its Athens campus. Funding for the project comes from multiple sources, including $12 million provided by the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation (OHF) as part of their Vision 2020 grant program.

Expected to be complete in 2021, the new academic building will also serve as an anchor for Athens’ future Union Street Green development plan, which seeks to preserve the city’s rural Appalachian history while also spurring new businesses, jobs, and commerce.

The new 120,000 square foot facility includes innovative, purpose-built spaces for modern medical education and more flexible learning environments, an academic resource center with a medical library, educational affairs suite, and an admissions office. These innovations will support fundamental operating changes and improvements to HCOM’s research and community outreach initiatives.

Beginning in 2011, the OHF Vision 2020 grant program awarded $105 million to transform HCOM into a nationally prominent institution that trains primary care physicians to serve the rural and underserved areas in Ohio. Through this award, HCOM is addressing some of the most pressing health care issues across the state and the nation, including the impending shortage of primary care physicians and the diabetes epidemic. OHF’s goal is for these changes to propel HCOM to the forefront of primary care, medical education, and research among all U.S. medical schools.

Level-1+BCL JV delivered the IT, wireless, A/V, and security design for the building through the Construction Management At Risk (CMR) method, an innovative approach to construction project delivery that involves working during the initial planning/pre-construction phases within a defined schedule at a fixed price. This makes it possible to assess and meet project specifications and requirements prior to bidding rather than right before construction begins.

Level-1+BCL JV worked closely with the University to incorporate their standards into the design and provided A/V solutions to accommodate the needs of the curriculum with several different options to meet specific budgets. Level-1+BCL JV also conferred with OU’s IT department on the locations of the tech closets, relocating the data center off-site and connecting temporary spaces to the existing network. The project was completed using Building Information Modeling (BIM) software in collaboration with the architect.

Level-1+BCL JV’s design solution offers high density, high capacity wireless coverage and IT infrastructure to support the building’s IT usage for the next 10 years and A/V to meet HCOM’s unique academic needs.   

BCL IT Consulting, a certified women’s business enterprise, is Cincinnati’s top IT and security designer with 25 years of experience creating environments that are optimized for the future.

Location

Athens, GA

Markets

Education & Research

Services

Technical Services
Engineering (Design)