WASHINGTON, DC (May 15, 2014)—On May 15, Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University (GW) celebrated the official opening of a new state-of-the-art building that will, for the first time in the school’s history, house all seven departments under one roof. The 115,000 square- foot modern facility offers cutting-edge classroom space, laboratories, and convening space to conduct research and host conferences on topics that range from the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS to prevention of chronic diseases that are on the rise nationally and all over the world.
“This building is a dream come true for many of us,” said Lynn R. Goldman, MS, MPH, MD, the Michael and Lori Milken Dean of Public Health at Milken Institute SPH. “We now have a central facility to house our world-class research, teaching activities, students, faculty and staff. Our location—within walking distance of key federal health agencies and the White House—helps solidify the school’s reputation as a place where students and faculty routinely interact with leaders in the field of public health.”
The nine-story building, which was designed by Boston-based Payette Architects along with the D.C.-based Ayers Saint Gross Architects, features a number of environmentally sustainable features such as the use of recycled building materials, a rainwater collection system, low-flow plumbing, energy-saving lighting controls and a green roof. The university is targeting a platinum rating for the new building under the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), a green building certification program.
In addition, the new facility incorporates a number of healthy design features, including a central staircase that invites people to walk instead of taking the elevators, bike racks to encourage active commuting, a yoga studio and standing desks for faculty, staff and students. Standing work stations help reduce the health risks associated with long periods of sitting at a computer.
The building’s health-promoting design is in keeping with the school’s targeted focus on disease prevention, which was significantly enhanced by three major gifts totaling $80 million that were announced in March 2014. The gifts by the Milken Institute, the Sumner M. Redstone Charitable Foundation and the Milken Family Foundation will be used to advance new and ongoing research, support faculty and provide for new scholarships at Milken Institute SPH.
On May 15, the Milken Institute SPH held a ribbon-cutting ceremony that featured brief remarks on the new building and its significance by President of the George Washington University Steven Knapp, Dean Lynn Goldman and Milken Institute representatives.
Read more about the building dedication event in GW Today.
About Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University:
Established in July 1997 as the School of Public Health and Health Services, Milken Institute School of Public Health is the only school of public health in the nation’s capital. Today, more than 1,100 students from nearly every U.S. state and more than 40 nations pursue undergraduate, graduate and doctoral-level degrees in public health. The school also offers an online Master of Public Health, MPH@GW, and an online Executive Master of Health Administration, MHA@GW, which allow students to pursue their degree from anywhere in the world.