Osher Center for Integrative Health: Making a Positive Impact in a New Home
Picture a workplace designed to promote better communication, collaboration, and community between all those who use the space. It would also be a place where the University of Utah鈥檚 Osher Center for Integrative Health (OCIH) could bring together all its services under one roof to promote whole-person health and workplace well-being.
When the promise of a home to call its own became a reality for executives, staff, and users of OCIH, they could not wait to put their visions for the space down on paper. Their ideas would inspire and inform architectural plans for the remodel of the northeast corner of the fourth floor at the U of U鈥檚 Williams Building in Research Park.
鈥淭he architects were so wonderful, and we met with them almost every week for many months,鈥 said Amy Locke, MD FAAFP. 鈥淥ur goal was to design a place where people could come and feel comfortable, take advantage of the natural light, the views of nature, and be in a space that is very calming and healing.鈥
Locke is the Chief Wellness Officer at U of U Health and has been a part of the Chief Wellness Office since 2015. For the past decade, those programs had been spread out in different locations across campus. So, Locke took full advantage of the opportunity to work closely with architecture firm Studio Long Playing to transform this bright and spacious corner of the Williams Building into a full-service wellness center.
鈥淲e strive to incorporate natural light, views and connection to nature into all of our projects.鈥 said Baylee Rushton, AIA, NCARB, managing principal at Studio LP. 鈥淚t was especially important on this one, given that the space supports both physical and mental wellness. Research shows that access to views, sunlight, and nature can significantly enhance well-being, improving cognitive function, boosting productivity for office users, and supporting the healing process.鈥
Studio LP is a Salt Lake City architecture firm led and operated by women with a focus on the day-to-day experiences of those who will use the buildings they design. In the words of the firm鈥檚 founders, 鈥淥ur approach centers on a deep, collaborative relationship with clients throughout both the design and construction processes.鈥
Rushton and Emina Tatarevic, Assoc. AIA, an architectural designer at Studio LP, built a trusting relationship with OCIH leadership, staff, and patrons, as they guided the project from initial concepts through design, construction, and completion in April 2025. For Tatarevic, this project鈥檚 future success was established in the early stages with the dedication and collaboration of the OCIH team.
鈥淚 will remember this project because of the many opportunities for learning and how incredible it was to work with this client,鈥 Tatarevic. 鈥淭hey were knowledgeable about their departments, and they advocated for them so well. It was truly inspiring.鈥
It would be hard to overstate the importance of OCIH programs to the physical and mental well-being of U of U staff, students, and community members. OCIH includes the Resiliency Center, the L.S. Skaggs Wellness Center, and PEAK Health and Fitness. OCIH鈥檚 new space accommodates services that each of these departments offer, including multi-purpose studios for lectures and classes, uniquely designed soundproof rooms for health consults and massages, a medical gym, and office space.
Locke emphasized the new location will give her a chance to catch her breath and catch up with staff and patrons. 鈥淓ven just for me as a leader, bouncing between locations, I really did not have enough opportunities to synergize with staff, and it was challenging. This is a hub and spoke operation. We have people embedded in clinics throughout the health system, and people working on main campus as well as the hospital, so it is nice to have a home base.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting working on an interior model, especially of a space that used to be a data center and financial institution,鈥 Tatarevic said. 鈥淭he new OCIH facility fits the original architecture of the building. I almost can鈥檛 see any other use now with those beautiful ribbon windows on the exterior that light up the wellness gym and the big skylight in the center of the main studio.鈥
As beautiful and calming as OCIH鈥檚 new space is, it will not change the focus or primary work of the team operating and overseeing the center鈥檚 services. 鈥淥ur job is to meet people where they are, and not everybody can come here [to the Williams Building].鈥 Locke said. 鈥淲e are still going to need to get out and about to meet people where they are.鈥
This new space will allow Locke and her staff to get together more often and brainstorm ways to streamline OCIH鈥檚 services, eliminate redundancies, and be as efficient as possible. The result will hopefully lead to a thoughtful expansion of programs to meet the needs of the population it serves.
Locke said that the new location ties directly into OCIH鈥檚 mission. 鈥淯ltimately, our goal is to get the university moving toward the idea of whole person health and consider how we do that in the education mission, the clinical mission, and the research mission,鈥 as well as 鈥渉ow we leverage this new physical location to meet those critical areas."
The new home of the OCIH will have its grand opening on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
