WRNS Studio to Design University Health Services Building at Princeton University

New York City, NY (February 8, 2022) – WRNS Studio has been selected to design the new University Health Services (UHS) Building at Princeton University. The project is slated to transform not only service delivery but to also enhance the overall experience of community and place on campus by contributing to a “culture of wellness.” Construction is projected to be complete in 2024.

“This project will provide a tremendous, thoughtfully designed resource to students, staff, and faculty at a time when health and wellness are understood as more essential than ever,” notes Bryan Shiles, Partner, WRNS Studio.

The building’s program will accommodate counseling and psychological services; medical services (including outpatient medical, athletic medicine, global & community health, occupational health, and an overnight infirmary service); health promotion and prevention services; sexual harassment/assault advising, resources and education (SHARE) office; and quality and performance improvement area.

The heart of UHS can be understood as the central atrium connecting three distinct wings including Eno Hall, an existing laboratory building constructed in 1924. By adaptively reusing Eno Hall, UHS anchors to the rich architectural heritage of campus while allowing two contemporary wings to stretch towards Guyot Lane and Goheen Walk—two primary pedestrian pathways.

Each of the building’s three wings supports a different focus—counseling and psychological services/SHARE, urgent and outpatient medical care, and administrative/health promotion and prevention services space. As the point of embarkation to the three wings, the atrium is the connective tissue of the building, hosting a large reception lounge and serving as the main orienting device.

The project site—located at a crossroads of campus life—will be leveraged to embolden a holistic concept of student health and embed it in Princeton’s sense of place. As the project is adjacent to several centers of student life, such as Residential College dining and recreation, opportunities for cross programming are being explored to embed a culture of wellness into the heart of campus while helping various outreach programs collaborate and serve the campus more efficiently.

With wellness as a sustainable design through line, UHS is targeting LEED Gold certification and will employ a hybrid mass timber and steel structure, reducing the project’s carbon footprint while offering a warm and welcoming environment for students to obtain healthcare.