UCI College of Health Sciences
New UC Irvine health sciences building supports aim to become national model for integrative health
Understanding what drives the need for change
The University of California Irvine set an ambitious goal to become a national model for integrative health education, requiring a revolutionary approach to how healthcare professionals are trained. The new College of Health Sciences needed to house five distinct programs—nursing, medical doctorate, pharmacy, philosophy, and public health—under one roof, breaking down traditional silos that often separate these interconnected fields. This 205,000-square-foot facility would need to embody the holistic principles it teaches, creating an environment where students experience firsthand how nature, community, and interdisciplinary collaboration contribute to healing.
The challenge extended beyond simply providing furniture for classrooms and labs. The space needed to support a transformative educational philosophy that views healthcare through the lens of mind, body, and spirit wellness. Students would need to learn not just in traditional lecture halls, but in spaces that demonstrate biophilic design principles, encourage spontaneous collaboration between disciplines, and provide tangible examples of how environmental factors impact patient care and learning outcomes.
How we brought the vision to life
Tangram developed a comprehensive furniture strategy that aligned with the building's LEED Platinum certification and biophilic design principles, treating each piece as an educational tool that reinforces the school's holistic healthcare philosophy. The furniture selection process focused on creating environments that would naturally encourage interaction between students from different disciplines while supporting the hands-on learning methodologies essential to modern healthcare education.
Every space—from entry areas and administrative offices to specialized teaching labs and student lounges—received carefully curated furniture that supports both wellness and active learning. The design team selected pieces that could adapt to various teaching methods, allowing spaces to transform from traditional lecture formats to collaborative workshop environments. This flexibility ensures that students experience healthcare education as dynamic and experiential, rather than confined to rigid classroom structures.
1 solutions from 1 manufacturers
QiVi
QiVi office chairs promote movement and collaboration while supporting a variety of postures, making QiVi perfect for meetings and conference rooms.
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