Lendlease has officially turned over the completed Kernersville Health Care Center in Kernersville, North Carolina to the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs. At 400,000 gross square foot and valued at over $130 million, it is the largest outpatient facility leased by the VA.Inspired by the concept of a “23-hour hospital,” the facility, while not actually a hospital, is much more than a clinic. It provides primary care, numerous specialty clinics, mental health and outpatient surgery to veterans. The project team included Lendlease, Perkins Eastman Architects and Littlejohn Engineering.
Specialty clinics are extensive and include audiology, cardiology, dental, diagnostic, dialysis, ophthalmology, neurology, pulmonary, radiology and women’s health, as well as a pharmacy, laboratory and pathology. The center also includes a host of supporting functions for veterans and staff including pension and benefit, counseling and food service. With a particular focus on the outdoor natural environment functioning as a healing element, key unique features — a green roof, side porch and dining patio — were designed to allow veterans convenient outdoor space to socialize between appointments, quietly contemplate or share private news with loved ones.
Perkins Eastman was responsible for the design of this LEED Gold for Healthcare facility. The team’s design approach incorporated an amplified sensitivity to the wellness, comfort and ease of the veteran and caregivers. The main entrance is easy to find, human in scale and inviting to veterans, family members and visitors. The main lobby has warm finishes, lots of daylight and a wood-paneled ‘Wall of Heroes’ to welcome and inspire veterans, caregivers and the public. The main circulation spine in the facility, the “Triad Trail,” slowly widens from the “quiet” behavioral health end of the building, with services on both sides, and culminates in the “active” food court and other services at the opposite end. Natural light permeates from each end and from above through multiple floor cutouts to diffuse the size of the facility and help veterans navigate the many clinics, each individually branded with regional themes found from the Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks.
Project sustainable highlights include:
- 30% building savings in potable water use
- 75% of waste diverted from landfill
- 31% energy savings over other North Carolina healthcare facilities
- 40% of building materials sustainably sourced
- Incorporation of green cleaning policies and procedures
