PROJECT Holy Cross Hospital, Bed Tower Addition
LOCATION Silver Spring, Maryland, US
PROJECT COMPLETION DATE 1/1/2014
ARCHITECT SmithGroupJJR
ASSOCIATED ARCHITECT
OWNER/CLIENT Holy Cross Health
CONTRACTOR / CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
PHOTOGRAPHER Maxwell MacKenzie; Judy Davis
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM Phil Tobey, FAIA, FACHA – Principal-in-Charge, Bill Kline, AIA, OAA, ACHA, EDAC, CAA, LEED AP – Managing Principal, Michael Kang, FAIA, EDAC, ACHA, LEED AP BD+C – Design Architect, Sylvia Frayne – Project Architect, Tracy Bond, AIA, ACHA, LEED AP – Medical Planner
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
Holy Cross Hospital’s 150-bed expansion of its Silver Spring Campus turns its many challenges into exciting design drivers. The 234,171 sf tower was added onto an existing, operating hospital with a site design strategy that placed it on the southern edge of the property, enabling convenient connection to existing service driveways without disrupting major functions within the existing complex. The design also anticipates planned expansion of operating room, radiology, and other primary care areas by establishing expandable corridor systems, egress pathways, and an elevator core. By locating the bed tower adjacent to the Capital Beltway, the design takes advantages of the project’s height to create a signature architectural statement visible to thousands of drivers every day while minimizing the tower’s impact on the adjoining residential neighborhood. The taut, curving facade was constructed with curtainwall and metal panels to both streamline the building’s surfaces and to protect existing hospital functions by enclosing the new space as quickly as possible. A pattern of brightly colored glass panels enlivens the curtainwall and continues a colorful theme from an existing internal healing garden to the highly-visible main facade. To create an efficient floor plan for the all-private patient room design and nursing support space, required egress stairs were pushed to the outside corners of the plan perimeter. The stair facing the Capital Beltway was enclosed in glass and dramatically lit to form a monumental design statement along the highway. For doctors and nursing staff, the all-glass enclosure is a popular vertical route between floors that provides them with an important and much-needed connection to nature and the city around them. Connecting the new bed tower back to main concourse circulation space and the main entrance was a unique challenge solved by constructing a 130-ft long bridge up and over existing operating rooms that had to remain active throughout construction. The bridge features an undulating wood ceiling and extensive daylighting to guide visitors to the bed tower’s reception area while creating a memorable architectural experience. To make the views from patient rooms facing north over the hospital complex more attractive, a green roof was designed for roof areas adjoining the bridge and the top of the bridge itself. To enhance the Hospital’s commitment to environmental stewardship, the bed tower project achieved LEED Gold Certification and includes a new, energy-conserving, rooftop central plant for the entire Hospital complex. Special emphasis on indoor environmental quality aligns with the healthcare mission through a rigorous process for materials and furniture selection.
MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF
IMAGE CAPTIONS & CREDITS
IMAGE 1 File: HolyCrossHospitalBedTowerAddition_thumbnail.jpg / Caption: Night exterior of vertical circulation. / Credit: © Maxwell MacKenzie
IMAGE 2 File: HolyCrossHospitalBedTowerAddition_high res ext.jpg / Caption: A new landmark on the edge of the capital beltway. / Credit: © Maxwell MacKenzie
IMAGE 3 File: HolyCrossHospitalBedTowerAddition_high res int.jpg / Caption: An undulating wood ceiling unifying a series of discreet spaces. / Credit: © Judy Davis / Hoachlander Davis Photography
IMAGE 4 File: HolyCrossHospitalBedTowerAddition 1.jpg / Caption: Night exterior of vertical circulation. / Credit: © Maxwell MacKenzie
IMAGE 5 File: HolyCrossHospitalBedTowerAddition 2.jpg / Caption: Vertical circulation route offers fantastic views. / Credit: © Maxwell MacKenzie
IMAGE 6 File: HolyCrossHospitalBedTowerAddition 3.jpg / Caption: Patient rooms with a view. / Credit: © Maxwell MacKenzie
IMAGE 7 File: HolyCrossHospitalBedTowerAddition 4.jpg / Caption: Amber colored lighting normalizes circadian rhythms and assists patients in normalizing their recuperative rest cycles. / Credit: © Maxwell MacKenzie
IMAGE 8 File: HolyCrossHospitalBedTowerAddition 5.jpg / Caption: The curving facade of the new tower references the existing color glass and magnifies it to a scale legible from the beltway. / Credit: © Maxwell MacKenzie
Holy Cross Hospital, Bed Tower Addition
Category
Local > AIA Potomac Valley > Institutional Architecture (AIA Potomac Valley)
Share