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Balboa Campus Extension, Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, CA
New home for health.
College of Health Sciences and campus extender.
Evidence-based, outcome-focused health education
To create a new regional center and home for the College of Health Sciences in San Diego, Point Loma Nazarene University selected HED to lead the initial two phases (totaling 36,000 SF) of the reimagining and renovation of two existing 70,000 SF two-story office buildings in a corporate park.

Home to the College of Health Sciences, the center offers state-of-the-art classroom, research, and fitness spaces for graduate students in PLNU's kinesiology, athletic training, exercise science, sport performance, sport management, physician assistant, and occupational therapy programs. This integrated, interdisciplinary space is designed to prepare clinically experienced students to transform the well-being of their communities. In addition to high-tech classrooms, collaborative learning commons, and private study and lounge areas, the center houses a top-of-the-line fitness center, research facilities, and clinical simulation labs designed to give students evidence-based, outcome-focused instruction.

The Center for Human Performance (CHP) is a 3,000 SF state-of-the-art gym and strength and conditioning training, research, and learning laboratory for sports science and sport performance students. The skills lab contains individualized simulation-based hospital and clinical stations with high-fidelity mannequins offering fully immersive experiences that prepare physician assistant and athletic training students for a diverse range of patient care and medical scenarios. The lab allows students to encounter complex medical cases and strengthen practice critical skills such as decision-making, communication, and patient care with a care team under the careful supervision of faculty mentors. The Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) simulation lab is made up of six patient-encounter rooms which look like your typical doctor's office and are designed to give students simulated patient-based training, as well as monitoring infrastructure for faculty to observe and provide feedback on students’ performance.

The first phase of transformation included new classrooms, study spaces, the Center for Human Performance (CHP), student lounges, and offices for PLNU’s graduate physician assistant and kinesiology programs. Phase II consisted of a lobby entrance transformation, exterior deck for the CHP, student lounge, and a new outdoor roof deck amenity. HED provided a revitalized landscape design to align with PLNU’s new campus identity, and a cohesive experiential graphics package to complement the university’s brand.

To ensure a marriage of the PLNU brand and to create the connection of people to place, an experiential graphic design package was provided at several touchpoints throughout the new site and building. The product of a comprehensive assessment of multiple opportunities, these included newly branded site and wayfinding signage, building signage, specialty graphic installations throughout the building, and visual brand reinforcement at strategic points.
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Results
HED provided a revitalized landscape design to align with PLNU’s new campus identity, and a cohesive environmental graphics package to complement the university’s brand.
Balboa’s skills and simulation labs act as a simulated clinical setting design to train students in patient care and give live feedback on students’ performance.
PLNU's Balboa Regional Center, home to the College of Health Sciences, offers state-of-the-art classroom, research, and fitness spaces for graduate students in PLNU's kinesiology, athletic training, exercise science, sport performance, sport management, physician assistant, and occupational therapy programs.
HED worked closely with PLNU to provide on-call design services to ensure a rapidly changing schedule was streamlined as budgets evolved throughout the life of the project.
Centrally located in San Diego’s Kearny Mesa neighborhood, PLNU’s Balboa Regional Center is within short commuting distance to San Diego’s hub of major health industry businesses as well as PLNU’s Mission Valley, Liberty Station, Point Loma, and partnering community college campuses.
Phase I included new classrooms, study spaces, the Center for Human Performance (CHP), student lounges, and offices for PLNU’s graduate physician assistant and kinesiology programs.
Phase II consisted of a lobby entrance transformation, exterior deck for the CHP, student lounge, and a new outdoor roof deck amenity.
College of Health Sciences and campus extender.
Balboa Campus Extension, Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, CA
PROJECT DATA
New home for health.