ESa - EARL SWENSSEN ASSOCIATES
EBD Goal
The transitional design is intended to set the tone for Wellness Point, a new mixed-use district focused on healthcare, retail, and residential uses that will eventually become the city’s southern gateway. By incorporating an urgent care model into the traditional ER setting and including Florida Hospital's Lean Track model, the facility's goal was the improvement of wait times, allowing patients to be seen at the appropriate level of care based on acuity.
Overview
The 120 inpatient-bed replacement, full-service hospital built by Florida Hospital envisions the future of healthcare. Located in the Indoor Foliage Capital of the World, the area’s greenhouses inspired the facility’s design. The former hospital had 50 semi-private beds within 48,689 square feet and an attached 43,420-square-foot medical office building. In contrast, the new facility has 120 private beds within 367,655 square feet and an integrated medical office building of 70,132 square feet.
Challenge
The challenge of the project was the creation of a healthcare delivery model with an outpatient focus that can support an inpatient chassis providing state-of-the-art care with a hospitality experience.
Solution
Through design, both inpatient and outpatient needs were given equal presence and access. The site provided the opportunity for one central main entrance on the ground floor for both outpatient and inpatient care. Designers took advantage of the sloping site to place entrances on the ground and first levels to reduce travel distances for transporting patients. The old facility had multiple entrances, a layout that was confusing.
For expediency, all outpatient services are located just off the main lobby. The emergency department is a straight path down a corridor. For efficiency, the ED dedicates space to lower-acuity patients toward the department's front. Higher-acuity patients are treated in spaces deeper into the department. This arrangement reduces patient wait times. The ED trauma rooms are only 50 feet from surgery, which also has a connectivity to suites for heavier surgical functions. The facility also offers an expanded women's center and outpatient rehabilitation. Service lines for outpatients and inpatients are kept separate for back-of-the-house functions.
Inpatient floors incorporate Lean thinking. Forty-bed floors are divided into two 20-bed wings with a central core of support spaces and another at the end of the second wing to reduce nursing steps.
Evidence-based design concepts were used throughout. At least 90% of the inpatient units (patient, staff, and public areas) are within 20 feet of a window to maximize natural light. Notably, the chapel has an adjoining courtyard for connectivity to nature.
Results
Whole-building energy simulation was accomplished with selection of highperforming materials and building systems, projecting a 25% better building performance than the ASHRAE baseline.
Patient and staff satisfaction surveys comparing the old versus new are not yet compiled, as the new hospital just opened December 2017. A post-occupancy evaluation will be performed.