New Hospital Tower Design Advances Care Today, Anticipates Future Needs

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –Gresham, Smith and Partners has completed a new patient tower at Baptist Health of Northeast Florida’s Baptist Medical Center South. The new 155,200-square-foot Tower C is an integral component of the master plan for the campus. It was designed by GS&P to expand surgical, labor and delivery, medical/surgical beds and associated support services as well as to provide the space and adaptability needed for growth and innovation in the future.

Throughout the planning process, the firm used an insight-driven approach, collaborating closely with hospital stakeholders to evaluate patient room mock-ups resulting in a patient-centered solution. The new tower features updated finishes and amenities to enhance the patient experience such as miniature refrigerators and safes in each room. The labor and delivery unit features 45 spacious rooms with touches that help create a spa-like environment, such as replacing paper towels with cloth hand towels and providing more counter space for toiletries. An additional nursery minimizes travel distances for patients and a number of alcove spaces give families a place to rest and enjoy views to the outside.

Shell space in the adjacent Tower D was built out to provide additional holding and recovery capacity that increased in proportion with the additional surgical capacity in Tower C. These support areas were located adjacent to the OR suite to minimize patient travel distances to enhance patient safety and operational efficiencies.

The firm also serves as the architect for a new medical office building that is under construction to accommodate increasing demand for physicians conveniently located adjacent to the hospital.

To further support future capacity, the firm expanded and built out the central energy plant. The CEP expansion will not only support growth, but coupling construction with the Tower C project also capitalized on an already-active construction zone, therefore reducing future disruptions. GS&P provided planning, architecture and interior design services for these projects. The firm previously provided a “Patterns of Growth” evaluation which informed master planning as well as design services for the greenfield hospital. Tower C and the MOB are the final buildings constructed as part of this master plan. It also led renovations for Baptist Health of Northeast Florida’s Baptist Medical Center Nassau and designed a prototype freestanding ED.

Batson-Cook served as general contractor on the project.