2018 NTMA Job of the Year Texas Tech University Amarillo Simulation Center

This new $9.75 million, 20,000-square-foot center, which provides training to emergency medical professionals, showcases a public art piece in its main entryway. “Body Geography” is a creative, complex floor design in epoxy thin-set terrazzo. The installation is a stunning composition of line and color that builds upon the rich history of medical symbols and illustration. In keeping with the center’s mission, the human body is the focus of the design concept: a topographical representation of Palo Duro Canyon, Amarillo’s iconic geographic feature, envisioned as a surgical cut in the human torso. The design draws connections between the human body, plant and animal cells, the night sky, and the natural environment. It weaves in a whimsical blend of meticulously designed macro images, from local plants to protein structures, mitochondrion, EKG waveforms, capsules, and sutures, alongside a wind wheel and a Spanish rhyme believed to have healing powers. The installation, which also included single-tone epoxy terrazzo in the corridors of the building, contained many intricately detailed elements of water-jet cut brass, zinc, and aluminum accents. Texas Tech University system’s public art collection ranks as one of the top 10 campus public art collections in the United States. This floor design is now one of the largest and most multifaceted terrazzo designs in the university’s collection.