GS&P-Designed Wellmont Holston Valley Medical Center D Tower Addition and Renovation Completed

Project Doubles Capacity of Emergency Department, Improves Operational Efficiencies and Creates New Modern Image for the Facility

KINGSPORT, Tenn. — Gresham, Smith and Partners, a leading multi-disciplinary design and consulting firm for the built environment, announces the completion of the Wellmont Holston Valley Medical Center’s D Tower project. Included in the 253,443-square-foot addition, expansion and renovation is a new 12-room operating suite, an updated and enlarged Emergency Department (ED) and a 36-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as well as all the necessary mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure to support these new upgrades.

This project is a part of Holston Valley Medical Center’s ambitious $113 million Project Platinum which supports its distinction as a premier healthcare facility in Northeast Tennessee and Southeast Virginia. At the official ribbon cutting ceremony on June 30, 2010, President of Wellmont Holston Valley Medical Center, Blaine Douglas commented, “We are pleased to announce the completion of Project Platinum and celebrate the opening of the facilities provided within the D Tower renovation.  This renovated space aesthetically reflects the state-of-the-art care provided within and better supports our facility’s ability to meet the changing healthcare needs of our community.”

A major goal of the project was to create a new, more modern image that would reinforce the fact that Wellmont Holston Valley Medical Center continues to be the top tier healthcare provider in the Tri-Cities area. All major public entry points were redesigned to include larger glass canopies that helped to create a more open, welcoming sense of arrival/entry. Expanses of exterior brick were removed and replaced with glass to help continue the sense of openness into areas that were formerly devoid of natural light. The use of natural light became a major design feature that breathed new life into many older areas of the facility and helped to reinforce basic wayfinding within the facility.

Other areas of optimization were the ED and Operating Suite. The ED was designed with an open floor plan and a centralized nurse’s station, which houses primarily acute care rooms enabling the hospital staff to treat patients more efficiently. The Operating Suite offers spacious rooms and utilizes state-of-the-art boom technology, allowing more information to be available at the patient’s side.  Focused on operational efficiency and patient safety, patient rooms within the D Tower are standardized wherever possible.  The use of sunshades on the façade and an updated mechanical system support overall energy efficient strategies. 

“We congratulate Wellmont on the completion of the renovations to Holston Valley Medical Center and are pleased to have continued our long-standing relationship with the facility through the design of this project,” Jeffery Morris, AIA, NCARB, EDAC, LEED AP, Healthcare Division Vice President, Gresham, Smith and Partners.  “Our full-service team worked closely with Wellmont staff to develop customized design solutions to effectively support their staff, relieve the space constraints being experienced within the existing emergency department and create operational efficiencies.” 
In addition to architecture, GS&P provided planning, interior design, landscape architecture and mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering services.  Robins and Morton served as the contractor.

Gresham, Smith and Partners has provided design and planning services to Wellmont Holston Valley Medical Center since 1990. 

About Gresham, Smith and Partners
Gresham, Smith and Partners provides design and consulting solutions for the built environment that contribute to the success of national and international clients.  For more than 40 years, GS&P has focused on enhancing quality of life and sustainability within communities.  GS&P consists of industry-leading professionals practicing architecture and engineering design as well as scientists and highly specialized planning and strategic consultants in Aviation, Corporate and Urban Design, Environmental Compliance, Healthcare, Industrial, Land Planning, Transportation and Water Services.  GS&P consistently ranks among the top architecture and engineering firms in the United States.  For more information regarding GS&P, visit www.gspnet.com.