From Factory Floor to the Future of Medicine
A historic transformation creates a state-of-the-art academic home for future physician leaders and research pioneers.
Wake Downtown Science Building
Winston-Salem, NC
Wake Forest School of Medicine educates nearly 1,900 students and fellows, preparing physicians, scientists, and clinical professionals to lead in an ever-evolving healthcare landscape. To match the caliber of its programs and vision, the school set out to create an advanced academic environment that would support both education and innovation at the heart of Winston-Salem’s urban core.
The school selected Building 60 North, a former R.J. Reynolds Tobacco plant, as the site for its new academic home. Vacant for decades, the facility offered a unique opportunity to support the revitalization of the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter and contribute to transforming a historically industrial district into a dynamic center for science, learning, and community.
The 168,000-square-foot renovation reimagined the former factory as the Bowman Gray Center for Medical Education—a hub for teaching, research, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The design balances the technical requirements of a modern medical education facility with sustainable strategies and restored historic character. A central, three-story skylit atrium invites daylight into shared spaces and serves as a gathering point for faculty, students, and visitors attending lectures and symposia.
The facility houses more than 400 research faculty and graduate students and provides flexible space for start-ups, technology spin-offs, and other partners driving health innovation.
The project advances the school’s mission by blending adaptive reuse with high-performance design. It reinforces its role in reshaping downtown Winston-Salem into a nationally recognized biomedical education and discovery hub
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