New UC buildings filled with light, opportunities

Natural light has been shown to improve student outcomes, and the new Lindner Hall and Health Sciences Building both have plenty of it. Thanks to its massive skylight, numerous windows and glass interior walls, there isn’t a single office or classroom in Lindner Hall that natural light can’t reach. 

“We all know that people are much happier in their spaces with natural light,” says Tina Whalen, dean of CAHS. “People just have a general sense of well-being when they can see what the outdoors is like. It also saves a lot of money on electric to be able to allow in natural light, particularly with our sensors today.” 

Like the Lindner College of Business’ new home, CAHS’s Health Sciences Building is constructed to maximize the amount of natural light entering the building. The skylight in the building’s central atrium reaches a majority of the building’s many classrooms, labs and offices. That’s a welcome change, especially for the students, faculty and staff leaving behind the bunker-like French East — the former Shriners Burns Institute. When the building was originally constructed in the 1950s, windows were only installed on the top floor because at that time it was believed that direct sunlight delayed the healing of burns.

At 225,000 square feet, Lindner Hall has more than twice the space of the college’s previous home. The newly constructed Health Sciences Building, a 117,000-square-foot structure near the University of Cincinnati’s medical college, will provide some much-needed space for the college’s 3,000-plus students.