Designer Forum: Owens Community College turns an outdated building into a cutting-edge healthcare hub – Nov 2025

By Jamie L. Tscherne

Owens Community College School of Nursing boasts nationally renowned healthcare programs on its campus near Toledo, Ohio; however, its previous facility did not compare to the standards set within their curriculums. To address the discrepancy, the college opted to transform a dated and uninhabited classroom and library building into a new state-of-the-art expanded nursing and medical professions school.

The project consisted of working within the existing building constraints to create individual technical labs and classrooms for multiple medical professions, as well as the construction of five separate additions to accommodate faculty office spaces, conference rooms and other support areas.

DESIGNING FOR LEARNING AND CARE

With extremely technical and specific needs for each program, and with clinical patients regularly receiving care, this educational setting needed to lend itself to a professional medical atmosphere that was conducive to learning, while being functional and welcoming for patients, as well.

To achieve this interior objective, a fresh and neutral backdrop was proposed with a handful of accents to provide a calm, yet sophisticated, color palette. The material selection complemented the interior aesthetic while also providing highly durable, cleanable and safe surfaces. As a part of the safety requirements for this project, defining zones were included within the labs and clinics. This was achieved through subtle contrast that also supported a calm environment.

CREATING WELCOMING STUDENT SPACES

Public student spaces took on more contrast, which created a different design challenge. The two most prominent areas were the main entry concourse and student commons space. The main entry concourse began as a very wide corridor with a high exposed pitched ceiling, dark brick walls and poor lighting.

Our design team was tasked with creating a bright and welcoming entry point that would not only usher students into this new facility but also provide functional use of the large square footage. The inspiration for this part of the building was pulled from the idea of a bouncing ball leaving a trail of light on all surfaces of the voluminous space.

From there, the angular floor pattern took shape with contrasting Nora rubber flooring styles and colorways and Shaw Contract carpet tile insets, which also helped define small touchdown stations and sitting areas. The result: this once dark and dingy hallway evolved into a dynamic architectural feature.

FLOORING CHOICES THAT SHAPE FUNCTION

Rubber by Interface’s Nora was selected as the primary flooring material for the main entry concourse and corridors due to a handful of significant factors. Its durability, resilience and ease of maintenance, together with the classic aesthetic appeal, made Nora Rubber the ideal flooring product for our application. The two styles utilized throughout the project were Pado and Castello, giving a nod to a natural stone feel, each in two neutral contrasting colorways.

The Living Systems collection from Shaw Contract provided the basis of the entire color scheme. Though the main entry concourse only utilized one accent and neutral colorway, there were four styles applied to the installation, each with a different scale to give ample depth and movement to the carpeted areas while also contrasting with the adjacent rubber tile. Additional colorways were installed throughout the facility, steering the tranquil, elevated color palette.

The second public student space, the student commons area, highlighted clerestory windows and a tall ceiling in a more boat-shaped floor plan. With such a large open area, the flooring and furniture both played an integral role in shaping the functionality and flow of the room. A rubber tile pathway was installed around the perimeter, continuing the Nora Rubber from the concourse, and setting the framework for the carpet pattern. By combining eight coordinating Shaw Contract styles and colorways from the Living Systems collection, the
angular carpet pattern creates interest on the floor while assisting with acoustics and also bringing together the full color scheme of the entire facility in this centrally located space.

FINISHES ACROSS LABS, OFFICES AND RESTROOMS

Other notable areas with a more subtle design approach include the office suites, labs, clinics and restrooms. The office suites feature multiple collections from Shaw Contract. The field tile and coordinating accent tile from the Collective collection, along with a contrasting patterned tile from the TeamWork collection, created a subtle yet interesting transition from the long corridor into each private faculty office. The plank formats provide visual movement that will camouflage circulation paths and wear over time and offer a soft and stimulating surface within the confines of the individual offices.

As a healthcare education facility, the floor plan has numerous labs and clinics, both working and simulation, that required continuous monolithic flooring material, but not necessarily a typical homogeneous product. Mannington Commercial’s heterogeneous sheet offerings allowed the design team to piece together three styles from various collections in coordinating colorways, functionally designating patient and healthcare provider/student zones and also maintaining a strong and hygienic surface. The three styles-Unlock, Textile and Wellspring-create a subtle contrast amidst the space with differing pattern scales in a coordinating tonal value.

Within the individual and group restrooms throughout the building, larger format ceramic tile from Crossville’s Shades collection was installed on the floor. Two wall tile products from Daltile and Ceramic Tiles International contrast in both tone and texture. Collectively, the three tile products provide a sleek and hospitable space for students, staff, and patients, with clean lines, architectural interest and highly scrubbable surfaces. The 12”x24” format on the floor and 12”x24” and 12”x36” on the walls reduce the amount of grout, lessening the stubborn maintenance and maximizing the cleanable surface area, therefore extending the lifecycle of the restroom finishes without sacrificing the design aesthetic.

A FACILITY THAT ELEVATES CURRICULUM STANDARDS

With just a short time in their new facility, the faculty and students at Owens Community College have adjusted seamlessly to their new spaces. The design for the interior environment, including color palette and finish selections, work hand in hand with the functionality of the spaces and provide an elevated facility that more than complements the program curriculums and standards.

THE AUTHOR

With over 20 years of experience, Jamie Tscherne serves as the lead interior designer at Buehrer Group Architecture & Engineering. Her extensive and diverse project portfolio reflects a deep understanding of design principles and an ability to tackle a wide range of design challenges with creativity, precision and practicality. Tscherne is passionate about the design process and is committed to continuous improvement in her work. She actively seeks out the latest products, trends and best practices to deliver intentional, efficient and forward-thinking design solutions.

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