JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Gresham, Smith and Partners’ design of UF Health North in Jacksonville received an Award of Merit from the Jacksonville chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The design team was honored at a Design Awards Gala held on May 29 at the Florida Theater. The annual awards program honors members, advocates and industry participants to encourage excellence in architecture, to elevate public consciousness of good planning and design and to recognize those whose work or advocacy enriches the built environment.
UF Health North Jacksonville is a six-story, 210,000-square-foot acute care medical facility located in Duval County in North Jacksonville, Florida. The six-story space includes two hospital floors, complete with a 28-bed emergency room and four floors of physician office space. The design incorporates influences of the regional topography by adding sliding planes and diagonal lines to the façade and floor patterns to mimic the geometric form of the marsh, and a color palette that includes midnight blue, green, olive, gray, white and chartreuse. Extensive access to daylight and views is provided, including light wells that bring natural lighting deep into the facility. Rooftop and interior gardens help draw a connection to nature, while large-scale photography echoes the Florida landscape and supplies a positive distraction. The design focuses on eliminating unnecessary barriers to reduce staff redundancy and increase staff efficiency.
The project was also recognized earlier this year in the IIDA North Florida design awards program with the top honor in the “healthcare large” category. GS&P is designing phase two of this project, a 92-bed hospital to be located on the UF Health North campus. Phase two is expected to complete in 2017.
