Cerner Continuous Campus-Architecture-Gould Evans

SYNOPSIS

The Continuous Campus signifies Cerner’s commitment to the future of healthcare management, and is an expression of the company’s work and values. Every design decision considered the comfort and care of Cerner associates so they can work effectively in a round-the-clock environment.

The campus consists of two eight-story office towers joined by a collaborative one-story base. Special design attention was paid to the “biology” of the ground level of the building, which is conceived of as a place where employees can “Get Well. Manage Well. Stay Well.” This level includes a cafeteria, coffee shop, fitness center, pharmacy, health clinic, globally-connected conference rooms, lounges and an event center, which is a unique aspect of the facility that enables Cerner to assist clients when systems are at risk during natural disasters.

A consistent attribute of the program is the duality of space for individual work and group work. The design prioritizes casual, unreserved team space over traditional conference rooms, featuring a variety of impromptu group work spaces located near individual work environments. The entire campus is wireless, enabling associates to tailor work environments to their comfort and convenience, and that of their clients.

The base features native prairie limestone, while the interior wall surrounding the intimate courtyard is clad in wood reclaimed from the site. The office towers are wrapped in a high performance rainscreen system; clad in a warm-brown, textured stainless steel, with a glass-to-wall ratio that varies with the solar orientation. While the window patterning is a nod to the sequencing patterns of DNA, the materiality also speaks to a Midwestern vernacular of metal-clad buildings.