Centrally located in the Medical Center, between the hospital and the engineering campuses, the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (ViSE) Laboratory exemplifies the institution’s mission to expand collaborations among engineering professors, physicians, and students in engineering, medicine, and robotics.

The open‐plan design embraces transparency and inter-disciplinary collaboration in the medical sciences. Welcoming building users with an exterior courtyard and a new glass storefront façade, the renovated facility is designed to showcase the innovative research taking place within the lab. The facility includes an open lab corridor, floor-to-ceiling glass partitions, and full visibility through offices, benches, and the central enclosed mock operating theater. Flexible lab stations are outfitted with castor-mounted benches and a variety of electrical configurations (wall and ceiling) with a new Unistrut grid. Along with building infrastructure tightly fit to the existing slab, the renovation provides many opportunities for future technological or programmatic developments and reconfigurations for the department. Comfortable breakout, conference, and other communal spaces foster a spirit of collaboration and community.

The LEED Gold facility was renovated within the boundaries of a 1923 hospital building, requiring careful coordination of MEP infrastructure to fit within the confines of the 12’‐6” floor‐to‐floor structure. Modern technologies including chilled beams and low‐profile LED light fixtures yield significant interior lighting power and potable water reduction. In deference of an historic institution, the renovated ViSE facility carries on the pioneering spirit of innovation with a new model for medical research and technological innovation.