Skip To Navigation Skip To Content Skip To Footer
    Hire Physicians Who Fit, Succeed and Stay - Recruit a Physician - Jackson Physician Search and MGMA
    Insight Article
    Home > Articles > Article

    By Lynda Duray NCIDQ, LEED Green Associate, associate, director of interior design, JACA Architects, lyndad@jacaarchitects.com; Bill Epp, president, JACA Architects, bille@jacaarchitects.com; and John Cacciatore, project manager, JACA Architects, johnc@jacaarchitects.com.

    Architectural firms designing community-based healthcare facilities often must balance incorporating state-of-the-art updates and achieving a look that dovetails with the neighborhood.

    The recently opened Beth Israel Deaconess-Needham Outpatient Clinical Center in Needham, Mass., is a new 37,000-square-foot, four-floor facility designed to accommodate the sizable number of patients who visit the hospital for treatments/procedures but do not stay overnight. The new center is located on the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham main campus, adjacent to the hospital.

    The mission, from an architectural standpoint, was to create a facility that would allow clinical practices previously located offsite to be part of the main campus while also providing new space for growing practices in the main hospital, many of which shared space with other clinics or practiced in outdated spaces. The challenge was to design a contemporary facility that would deliver continuous high-quality care for the community and be accepted by nearby neighbors, many of whom were concerned about the building’s appearance. The answer was a residential-style façade on one side of the building, contrasted by a modern, sleek appearance on the other side.

    Part of the inspiration for the residential façade was to make it look as though it had always been part of the neighborhood, and a more modern-looking building was just added, even though, in reality, the entire project was new construction. We incorporated various materials and design elements — cement board siding to simulate a clapboard look, faux-slate roofing shingles, a mansard roof with dormers as opposed to a more traditional commercial flat roof, residential-looking 12-pane windows, a faux front door with a residential appearance and working exterior gutters — all in the name of making the facility as aesthetically pleasing to its residential neighbors as possible.

    Hospital leaders wanted to literally illustrate the facility’s intention — to both provide outpatient care for members of the local community and fit in with the neighborhood landscape. This also entailed designing offices, exam rooms and community spaces that reflect the wants and needs of patients, medical staff, physicians and community members with a focus on patient experience and satisfaction at all stages of care. The building also needed to endure with minimal maintenance for a lengthy period; thus, we relied on empirical information when blueprinting the BID-Needham Outpatient Clinical Center to ensure design elements will serve both present and future patient and staff requirements. 

    On the more modern side, we were able to incorporate previously used materials to create a unified campus vision. Slate panels were specifically selected that had been used on the last two major renovations on the campus, as was metal paneling and a glass curtain wall. This expansive curtain wall also provides for a significant amount of natural light throughout the building, which helps encourage the healing process for patients and provides a more positive workspace for physicians and staff. From the very beginning of the project, floor plans were laid out so that corridors, waiting rooms and other areas are situated near the glass walls so that more light can penetrate the building. Placement of the glass curtain wall was also specific — the resulting view is of the medical campus rather than the residential neighborhood, which maintains the privacy of the neighbors and prevents the feeling that individuals inside the center could look right into their yards or homes. 
      
    The facility design went beyond what is typically found in a medical center by addition of a high-capacity conference suite for educational sessions or events. Previously, the hospital had been very limited in conference and meeting room space, requiring the use of outside venues when holding a big meeting or event. The conference suite contains two dividing, moveable, ceiling-mounted partitions to create up to three separate spaces as needed. These panels have a higher acoustical value to ensure that sound does not transfer between partitioned spaces when separate meetings are held. As a nod to the town where the new medical center is located, a piece of custom artwork — a resin panel of an 1887 map of Needham — was created for the conference room. Additionally, a moveable glass partition installation on the ground floor opens the waiting room to the main lobby so that the space can also be used for functions as needed.

    A pedestrian bridge was designed to connect the hospital and the new outpatient center. Those entering the hospital have access to the new building without having to walk outside. Moreover, the conference suite is situated at the end of the bridge, allowing hospital staff or community members the ability to use the space without having to traverse the entire building.

    There were many interior considerations, led by the desire for the building to have a clean feel without being sterile. Soft colors are used throughout with a transitional finish palette to create a balance between the more traditional finishes in the main hospital and a nod to modernism, while avoiding anything overly trendy. Additionally, infection control was a huge consideration, so high cleanability was crucial, even for furniture fabrics. Each floor has slightly different accents yet similar features to create a sense of continuity while avoiding complete replication. Additionally, the new building has the same applied finishes as the existing building, but the finishes themselves are slightly different, allowing for a tie-in to the older building and establishment of its own identity.

    The interior was also specifically planned to feel completely seamless, so unless someone is looking out the 12-pane windows, they would not feel as if they are currently in an older, more residential structure. Additionally, there are no junctures that make anyone feel as though they’re moving from one structure to another, furthering the feeling of a continuous center.

    To set these goals for the new center, practitioners were extensively incorporated into design work through a Lean process, working with architects on the floor plans, allowing us to create layouts based on how they actually worked, not just theoretical best practices. Those practices still offered insight, but then some elements were changed to better reflect how they specifically worked, allowing for the development of a happy medium that met everyone’s needs.

    Landscaping proved to be a significant element of this project as well, especially on the residential side. Much of the landscaping was planned to help block the view of the parking lot and shield the building and contribute to the residential look. Plantings native to the region were selected so they will last and eliminate the need for regular replanting. They were also selected based on their maturity, to help create a barrier now rather than having to wait until the plantings grow in. Similar landscaping was added throughout the parking lot and the walkthrough from the main entrance of the hospital to the main entrance of the new building, to enhance the overall aesthetics and strengthen the unified look of the campus. 

    Ultimately, the Beth Israel Deaconess-Needham Outpatient Clinical Center is a yin and yang of design, with one half exemplifying the height of modernity and the other side exhibiting suburban curbside appeal, augmenting community relations and helping the project get approval from the town planning board. Enhancing the quality of care experience is the foundation of the design process for healthcare — words architectural firms should live by as we conceive medical centers for today and tomorrow. 
     


    Explore Related Content

    More Insight Articles

    Explore Related Topics

    Ask MGMA
    Reload 🗙