Main Line Health’s state-of-the-art, 100,000-square-foot Women’s Health Center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania recently opened. The overarching goal was to create an environment that embodies the building’s overall mission of holistic wellness – notably the distinct preventive, diagnostic and treatment needs of women.
The center is located within a thriving mixed-use development featuring retail, dining, residential and office space. To integrate with its surroundings and engage the community, the highly specialized health facility features some non-traditional amenities. In addition to onsite medical services, the environment houses a demonstration kitchen for educational programming dedicated to eating healthy, and a rooftop farm that will grow fresh produce.
The design team created a facility that could accommodate future tenants with minimal disruption to reworking the layout, by adhering to a strict module that allowed for flexibility within the space. The specific design took notes from hospitality trends in order to offer a more welcoming, innovative environment that stands out from typical healthcare features and layouts.
Due to its narrow, sloping nature, the selected site required a carefully curated plan that could accommodate an efficient and functional facility. As a result, the project team’s solution ensured the building would meet the client’s programmatic square footage needs and parking requirements, while maintaining visibility and views from both its interior and exterior. Site constraints also dictated how the medical office building and parking garage integrate to create a unifying form.
Two distinct volumes identify the different uses of the complex. A large portion of the medical office has been stacked atop the parking structure, facilitating direct vertical access for the patient and visitors, while allowing vast areas of floor plate for flexibility. This area accommodates dozens of specialty practices, women’s clinics and interactive wellness classes. In addition, this larger volume houses community spaces such as education and conference areas, and The Wellness Porch, with specialized healthcare retail offerings.
The second volume is a welcoming entrance pavilion, with a common connecting wayfinding core. This naturally lit core serves as the one joining piece to all the components of the complex, and functions as its wayfinding center. The pavilion accommodates general and women’s radiology, lab services and a café. Curves have been introduced within the landscape and exterior design to create a flowing entrance and a focal point designating the front door. Sustainable materials are used throughout, with finishes to further convey the connection to nature and offer a timeless aesthetic.
Patients and visitors will notice the facility is enhanced with sprawling murals evoking energetic scenes of nature in both realistic and abstract form. Dozens of pieces have been selected from Main Line Health’s Art Ability Program, which focuses on encouraging people with disabilities to reach beyond their limitations and create inspiration through art.
The project team included Saul Ewing, IMC Construction, Anchor Health Properties, Siemens, NELSON Worldwide, Bohler Engineering, Pisarek Engineering, O’Donnell & Naccarato, Remington & Vernick Engineers, Perkins Eastman Black and Glackin Thomas Panzak.
Rendering source: mainlinehealth.org.
