NEW YORK-Columbia University announced today that it plans to begin construction late next year on a new home for the Columbia School of Nursing.

The new seven-story, 68,000-square-foot building will be located on existing Columbia University property at the corner of W. 168th Street and Audubon Avenue, at the east end of the CUMC campus. No cost estimate for the project was released.

"Columbia's mission of teaching and research, patient care and public service all come together so vitally in our School of Nursing," states Columbia President Lee C. Bollinger. "This new state-of-the-art facility for the school is another in a series of important steps forward not only for Columbia University Medical Center's home campus in Washington Heights, but for the university as a whole as well as for our neighbors in Northern Manhattan."

In addition to the Columbia University School of Nursing and College of Physicians & Surgeons, the medical center complex includes the Mailman School of Public Health and the College of Dental Medicine.

The new nursing school building is designed by architecture firm CO|FXFOWLE. The interior of the  building will provide 65% more space than the school's current location and will feature a network of flexible, technologically advanced spaces that accommodate various styles of teaching and learning, as well as places for socializing and relaxation, university officials note

The building will feature a state-of-the art simulation center to help students master complex clinical techniques in a safe, educational environment. The simulation center, which will occupy nearly two floors, will be equipped with a variety of model health-care settings, such as a mock in-patient room, exam room, critical care unit, and an operating room. Three clinical teaching skills labs will contain a total of six beds and 14 exam tables will give students the opportunity to perfect clinical procedures on lifelike mannequins.

The new building is designed to achieve LEED Silver.