Baptist Health Care 57-Acre Campus Designed for Community Connection, Climate Resiliency

Baptist Hospital, Bear Family Foundation Health Center and Baptist Behavioral Health Unit and central energy plant on Baptist Health Care’s new Brent Lane campus are complete. Replacing the health system’s 73-year-old hospital, the new 57-acre campus provides greater convenience, efficiency and the latest healthcare technology to serve the Pensacola, Florida regional community.

The 10-story, 268-bed hospital houses general medical and surgical rooms, critical care areas, a mother-baby unit, surgery department, specialty cardiac care treatment and procedure rooms, and Level II trauma center. The six-story, 178-000-square-foot Bear Family Foundation Health Center contains multi-specialty services, including oncology, women’s health, outpatient imaging, bariatrics, cardiology and lab, as well as a conference center for public events, health education and community outreach. The 72-bed behavioral health unit, located on the west side of the campus, brings much needed behavioral health services to the community.

The campus is organized around a park-like town square that includes groves of heritage oak trees that create a variety of amenities including walking paths, respite areas and outdoor event spaces. The exterior of each building pays homage to the historical character of Pensacola’s local buildings and celebrates the natural surroundings of the beach community.

Warm terracotta and shades of sandy white contrast to denote building entrances, and large spans of glass flood the interior with natural light. Durable materials, including precast concrete panels and impact glazing that surpass code minimum, and a hardened building structure and envelope will withstand hurricane force winds and rain. Additionally, electrical feed and potable water redundancies will enable the hospital to operate off-grid in the event of an emergency.

Interiors take cues from the exterior design, using handcrafted materials, such as wood, bronze and terrazzo, to create a warm, welcoming environment for patients, their loved ones and staff members. Drawing inspiration from the oaks in the town square, large-scale light fixtures reference sunlight streaming through Spanish moss, while planters and full-height windows also bring the outdoors inside.

The project team included Gresham Smith and Brasfield & Gorrie.