A new 492,000-sf Veterans Administration ambulatory care facility on the William Beaumont Army Medical Center campus near El Paso, Texas will include 47 medical departments and provide brain and spinal cord injury treatment services. A design-build team of Clark Construction, SmithGroup, and HKS is spearheading the project that recently broke ground with anticipated completion in 2028.
The project will also include a new central utility plant and significant improvements to utilities, stormwater management, and parking facilities for the Fort Bliss campus. Public outdoor amenities bookend the entry canopy. To the northeast, an 18,000 sf healing garden, partially shaded by the building’s canopy, offers a tranquil space for respite. Toward the northwest, 6,500 sf of outdoor cafe seating connects to the interior canteen.
A 5,000-sf shaded staff plaza on the facility's south side connects the main staff entry to dedicated staff parking. Inside, a dynamic two-story lobby welcomes patients and their families with retail spaces and patient pharmacy flanking either side of the lobby. Radiology and pathology have dedicated spaces on either end of the first floor.
Interior design is inspired by the passage of the nearby Rio Grande River through the El Paso region. Soft, organic forms and curves at key points in the patient’s journey represent the fluidity of water, embodying the idea of renewal and regeneration on the path to good health. A rich, warm material palette inspired by the colors and textures of the desert and river trails grounds the interior design in the local community.
Indoor public spaces are oriented along the building’s northern façade to offer views of the nearby Franklin Mountains through an expansive glass curtain wall. Reception and waiting areas on each of the four clinical floors (levels 2-5) are also aligned along this northern façade to enjoy daylighting and views of the natural landscape, with staff workspaces and service spaces programmed behind clinical spaces along the southern spine of the building.
Audiology, prosthetics, and rehabilitation for traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries have dedicated space on level two, which also features specialty education rooms and administration spaces. The VA’s signature patient-aligned care team (PACT) clinics are on the third floor, with a specialized women’s clinic and spaces for mental health and substance abuse programs.
Level four features a dental suite, eye clinic, and surgical care to complement the ambulatory surgery unit and specialty ambulatory care (neurology, cardiovascular) on the fifth floor above. The sixth-floor penthouse features a north-facing outdoor staff terrace, administration space, and mechanical systems. The below-grade basement level of the health center contains back-of-house functions, including loading, laundry, engineering, and pharmacy.
The new health center is oriented to optimize environmental conservation and protection (solar, thermal, comfort, and wind), contributing to a goal of 30% energy reduction over prevailing building codes. Additionally, the building’s orientation forms a new campus entry and helps to minimize new parking areas on site, leaving a more natural landscape intact. Proposed arrays of photovoltaic panels above new parking areas will help to shade vehicles and generate energy on-site. The building is designed to exceed LEED Silver certification.
Owner and/or developer: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Design architect: SmithGroup (interior); HKS (exterior)
Architect of record: SmithGroup + HKS Joint Venture
MEP engineer: Capital Engineering Consultants, Inc. (mechanical); Mazzetti (electrical)
Structural engineer: Cagley and Associates
General contractor/construction manager: Clark Construction Group
Related Stories
| Sep 20, 2011
Francis Cauffman wins two IDA design awards
The PA/NJ/DE Chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) has presented the Francis Cauffman architecture firm with two awards: the Best Interior Design of 2011 for the W. L. Gore offices in Elkton, MD, and the President’s Choice Award for St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, NJ.
| Sep 12, 2011
Living Buildings: Are AEC Firms up to the Challenge?
Modular Architecture > You’ve done a LEED Gold or two, maybe even a LEED Platinum. But are you and your firm ready to take on the Living Building Challenge? Think twice before you say yes.
| May 18, 2011
New center provides home to medical specialties
Construction has begun on the 150,000-sf Medical Arts Pavilion at the University Medical Center in Princeton, N.J.
| May 5, 2011
Hospitals launch quiet campaigns to drown out noise of modern medicine
Worldwide, sound levels inside hospitals average 72 decibels during the day and 60 decibels at night, which far exceeds the standard of 40 decibels or less, set by the World Health Organization. The culprit: modern medicine. In response, hospitals throughout Illinois and the U.S. are launching "quiet campaigns" that include eliminating intercom paging, replacing metal trash cans, installing sound-absorbing flooring and paneling, and dimming lights at night to remind staff to keep their voices down.
| Apr 14, 2011
USGBC debuts LEED for Healthcare
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) introduces its latest green building rating system, LEED for Healthcare. The rating system guides the design and construction of both new buildings and major renovations of existing buildings, and can be applied to inpatient, outpatient and licensed long-term care facilities, medical offices, assisted living facilities and medical education and research centers.
| Apr 13, 2011
Virginia hospital’s prescription for green construction: LEED Gold
Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg, Va., is the commonwealth’s first inpatient healthcare facility to earn LEED Gold. The 630,000-sf facility was designed by Earl Swensson Associates, with commissioning consultant SSRCx, both of Nashville.
| Apr 12, 2011
Mental hospital in Boston redeveloped as healthcare complex
An abandoned state mental health facility in Boston’s prestigious Longwood Medical Area is being transformed into the Mass Mental Health Center, a four-building mixed-use complex that includes a mental health day hospital, a clinical and office building, a medical research facility for Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and a residential facility.
