Medical University of South Carolina: College of Dental Medicine

Project Details

Project Description

Designing a new college of dental medicine gave the Medical University of South Carolina the chance to go well beyond traditional training of tomorrow’s dentists. In a new facility, students are offered a state-of-the-art clinical experience, a building in which to care for the area’s typically underserved community, and a place to learn alongside instructors, researchers and care providers. And because this facility was designed for a historically sensitive property (bounded by a cherished stone wall and equally beloved tree), this new building represents a gateway to the university’s campus, linking traditional Charleston to its future.

The Clinical Education Center was designed with both student and patient experiences in mind. Flooded with natural light, with large windows removing the perceived barriers between the outside and interior, the building offers community residents an easy, welcoming, transition from the antebellum Bee Street city-facing side into the reception and waiting areas. The facility houses 171 clinic chairs supporting orthodontics, pediatrics, oral surgery, prosthodontics, periodontics, endodontics, central imaging and general oral medicine programs. The 6th floor lounge offers a space where students and staff relax together. With the goal of attracting and retaining the best faculty, the university also provides 28 chairs dedicated to faculty practitioners, so that they can teach and sustain private practices. The Clinical Education Center offers the latest technology in patient/student education. Several operatories support digital radiography and access to Axium patient files is accessible throughout the building so that students can work and study almost anywhere.

Kahler Slater served as the designer and dental education expert in partnership with LS3P Associates, Ltd.