ALICE WALTON SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

The Alice Walton School of Medicine is a facility designed with a whole-body approach to healthcare and a vision to transform the healthcare system. The project's design embraced the natural beauty of the Ozark landscape, incorporating elements like eroded sandstone, plateaus, creeks, and woodlands. EPS was brought in early during the design development to help translate this ambitious vision into reality.  

The project presented significant challenges, including an ambitious schedule and complex design requirements. We adopted an innovative "build twice" approach, first constructing the entire project in a digital environment before its physical realization. This process involved intensive sample procurement, detailed shop drawings, and 3D models to ensure precision and align with the design firm's vision for stone finishes and color. Multiple components of the project ran concurrently, requiring an intentional, sophisticated approach to project management and coordination.

Craftsmanship was essential in balancing the natural state of the stone with refined finishes, requiring close collaboration with designers to unlock the stone's full potential. Our team navigated significant logistical hurdles, such as carving massive stone slabs on a rooftop with limited space and using cranes to transport heavy equipment. The result is evident in features like the Welcome Plaza, which evokes an Ozark cave with meticulously cut stone, and a runnel where every edge was worked to ensure water cascaded perfectly, showcasing our team's commitment to the artistry and attention to detail this project required.

EPS is honored to have played a pivotal role in creating the environment surrounding the Alice Walton School of Medicine, which will stand as a multi-generational legacy project, change the direction of the community around it, and help create future physicians who will change the healthcare system.