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A paved pathway winds through a forested area under a clear blue sky with sunlight filtering through the trees.

Master Plan

A yellow butterfly lands on the petals of a pink coneflower among several other blooming coneflowers in a garden.

Guiding Principles Planning and Beyond

Welcome to the Master Plan page, where we will provide ongoing updates on the progress of our vision for the future. While the full Master Plan is still in development, we are excited to share the guiding principles that are shaping it. We will continuously update this page as key elements take shape, so you can stay informed along the way. The plan will establish a campus that fosters the growth of competent and compassionate medical professionals in the Pacific Northwest, while also creating a space where the Lebanon community can access health, wellness, and celebrate together. You can expect to see a Master Plan featuring abundant greenspaces, art, culture, and state-of-the-art teaching and learning environments.

Master Plan Guiding Principles


Interprofessional Scholarship and Practice

The physical layout of the Campus will foster cross-pollination and interprofessional collaboration to propel the future of Medical Education and Patient Care through purpose-driven innovation.

The campus and its buildings will break down the historic silos separating medicine, physical therapy, nursing, podiatric medicine and behavioral health. The plan will uplift the individual identity of each school and create a unified approach that shows the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. The campus will ensure students and faculty have convenient access to their respective programs while encouraging interaction and collaboration both outdoors and within the buildings.

Nature as Healer, Healing Nature

The campus is designed to highlight the beauty of the landscape and harness the benefits of biophilic design to enhance the overall health and well-being of both the campus and the surrounding community. Whether you’re studying, visiting faculty, or enjoying the outdoor paths, the campus will offer easy access to these opportunities.

The Campus Development, including buildings and site, aims to restore and heal the ecosystem by reintroducing natural systems to provide habitat and support the return of native flora and fauna.

Planning and design will adhere to Terrapin’s 14 patterns of Biophilic Design. Standards such as the Well Standard and Living Building will be implemented to ensure that the campus development causes no harm. Moreover, the development will strive to be carbon positive and will completely eliminate the use of fossil fuels.

Cohesive Campus Character

The campus is designed to emphasize and feature the beauty of the landscape. The campus design reflects the institution’s values and commitment to educational excellence, emphasizing seamless integration with the surrounding region. Architectural choices for buildings, landscapes, and circulation should be contextually driven, enhancing the campus’s cohesive character and overall quality while maintaining a consistent identity and material palette.

The site’s history as a former timber mill will be revitalized through modern construction techniques using natural materials. Incorporating heavy timber structures not only promotes sustainability but also honors the area’s heritage.

Celebrate Human Connections and Rituals

The physical plan facilitates educational rituals by establishing memorable spaces, both indoors and outdoors, where groups of all sizes can gather to mark their milestones. The campus acknowledges the significance of these rituals and ensures they are celebrated, recognizing their importance for both the University and the City of Lebanon.

Moreover, the plan integrates opportunities to blend these rituals with the healing qualities of the natural surroundings.

Respectful to Our Neighbors and the City of Lebanon

The campus functions as an open and inclusive resource for the Lebanon community, promoting the health and well-being of its residents through a permeable site design that embraces native landscapes.

Development at the campus boundaries should recognize and, when suitable, harmonize with neighboring sites in terms of scale and proximity.

Efforts to enhance pedestrian and bicycle links between the campus and the Build Lebanon Trails system should be consistently prioritized and strengthened.

A waterfall flows into a clear, rocky pool surrounded by lush green forest and ferns on a sunny day.

The Architects

Learn more about our Seattle- and Portland-based architects working with us to create the Medical School campus for the Future, Mahlum Architects.

“Mahlum envisions a world where healthy human and environmental systems thrive. We believe community empowerment will be the game-changing force that leads to sustainable, transformational ways to make that possible.” (Mahlum.com)