College of Western Idaho, Health & Science Building
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Health and Science Building consolidates a range of health and science education programs in a 60,000-square-foot central hub on its campus in Nampa, Idaho. The building is the first completed of several that will form a campus quad, helping to establish a unified, higher education experience and environment. The Health and Science Building is one of the first you encounter as you approach the campus, and it showcases the CWI brand, which will be consistent across the new buildings.
Designed to foster experiential learning, the facility provides students, faculty, and healthcare professionals an innovative environment for teaching, training, and studying. The building encompasses state-of-the-art simulation suites, flexible laboratory spaces, multiple classroom types, conference rooms, offices, lockers, a kitchen, and study and breakout areas with furniture options to support a variety of needs and uses.
Originally planned as a 45,000-square-foot facility with future unfinished shell space, the rapid growth of CWI’s student population resulted in the need to pivot after construction began to strategically finish out the additional square footage required. Through close coordination and thoughtful design and construction solutions, the team successfully incorporated the additional space to accommodate all programs and the anticipated student population, and the facility opened as planned. The Cushing Terrell design team also worked with CWI to ensure the flexibility needed for future expansion in subsequent phases.
The Health and Science Building currently houses programs that include Microbiology, Biology, Certified Nursing Assistant, Dental Assistant, Medical Assistant, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physical Therapist Assistant, Practical Nursing, Registered Nursing, Surgical Technology, and Surgical First Assistant.
High-tech, hands-on, experiential learning spaces are a key component of the CWI Health & Science Building, helping to ensure high-quality, relevant education for people across the Treasure Valley.
As it relates to the inspiration behind the design, Randi Thomas, interior designer for the project, said: “The design team drew parallels between the major systems of the human body and the major building systems. For example, we imagined the building’s structure as the skeletal system, the mechanical and electrical components as the circulatory system, and HVAC as the respiratory system. Correlating the building to a human body helped us bring together different program elements in a way that instinctively makes sense to users as they make their way throughout the facility.”
The L-shaped building opens to a grand entry way with a three-story daylit staircase and student and staff common areas. Much of the structure was left exposed in common areas and in hallways so that the “skeleton” and building systems are visible.
The team juxtaposed this with the hands-on experiential learning rooms. “Just as you would want to keep sensitive parts of the body shielded, these healthcare environments need to be protected for sanitation purposes. It also makes it clear these rooms aren’t open to the general public,” Randi added.
The building design also prioritized energy efficiency, daylighting, and healthy materials selection to foster health and well-being for users and to realize sustainable campus development.
CWI’s Health and Science Building is one of three new buildings on its Nampa campus with the new Agricultural Sciences Complex also completed in 2025 and the CapEd Student Success Center planned to open in the summer of 2026. Cushing Terrell provided the overall campus master planning for CWI, and you can learn more about the effort on our blog.
LOCATION
Nampa, ID