Move, Upgrade Under Way for Pharmacy's Skills Laboratory Suite

The Skills Laboratory suite at the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy is moving down one floor but up several levels to a state-of-the-art working environment, thanks to a renovation scheduled to be completed early next year.

The suite, under construction since July in the space formerly occupied by Suite 238 in the Health Professions Building (HPB), will replace lab space on the HPB's third floor.

The renovation, when completed in February 2012, will showcase new pharmacy methods and skills for students and visitors. It will feature glass panels along the central corridor that allow natural light into the corridor and observation by passing students.

There will be four consultation stations on each side with video capability to review student training methods. One side will feature a current pharmacy workplace environment; the other will showcase a hospital pharmacy that includes a clean room for the handling and dissemination of drugs in a sterile environment.

New seminar rooms will also be developed with flexible seating arrangements for peer collaboration.

The design team has integrated exterior proportions of architect Samuel Hannaford's building into the corridor design. Local sustainable materials have been incorporated whenever possible and the new energy-efficient mechanical system will reduce energy costs to the entire suite.

Shauna Buring, PharmD, is director of the Skills Laboratory.