One month after opening its doors, the new Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center, located in Silver Spring, Maryland, is seeing the benefits of a human-centric design that places patients at the core of the healthcare equation.
The bucolic site inspired the design team—the building’s wooden façade reflects the area’s lush, forested setting. Light-filled public spaces, roof gardens, courtyards, a dining terrace and walking trails promote a restorative healing environment for patients, family and staff. The hospital, tracking toward LEED Gold, features a 48% reduction in energy consumption from its previous facility thanks to its sustainable use of cogeneration.
There are human-centric design elements in two very personal care units—the maternity and behavioral health departments. The maternity ward features a labor and delivery room with access to the green roof terrace, and the department offers postpartum rooms, medical-surgical patient rooms and a nursery with an isolation room, labor and delivery rooms and C-section rooms. The behavioral health unit is designed with segregated zones: a patient zone with its corridor serving the bedrooms, dayrooms and treatment spaces; and a staff zone with its corridor and dedicated staff entrance serving the staff work and support areas.
The new facility features 170 all-private beds and an emergency department to accommodate up to 60,000 visits per year. In addition, an ambulatory care center with outpatient and cancer treatment services will be attached to the hospital and will also house physician offices and space for outpatient programs. To help ease staff commute, the new campus is in proximity to public transportation and spacious parking lots.
The project team included CallisonRTKL and Turner Construction.
Photos courtesy of Sam Kittner.
