Veterans Affairs Medical Center Ambulatory Care Addition & Renovation

Location

Providence, RI / United States

Completed

2000
2003

Total Square Footage

38,000 GSF Ambulatory Care Addition
15,000 GSF Diagnostic & Treatment Renovation
5,000 GSF Emergency Room Renovation
1,500 GSF CT Expansion
Site Access/Parking Upgrade
224,306 SF Outpatient Specialty Clinics Addition Conceptual Design

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

Ambulatory Care, Emergency Department, Hematology/Blood, Outpatient

The seven-story hospital complex at the VA Providence Medical Center was in dire need for a new entry with a clear circulation path. New primary care and specialty clinics were also required in the program. The addition and renovation project creates two primary care clinics with a specialist clinic between them for the ease of consultations and referrals. The VA has used this model as a new prototype in other projects. The overall design establishes a new hierarchy of circulation and provides a clear sense of arrival by defining a new entry sequence from the major road that bounds the site.

The front façade of the addition is marked by a two story entry pavilion clad in pre-oxidized copper panels. Visually separate from the brick mass of the hospital campus, the bold use of the material suggests the time-honored tradition of using copper cupolas, domes and dormers to announce the entry to important civic and collegiate buildings. Color is both a catalyst and an urban design element that brings scale and a larger sense of organization to an extremely large floor plate. Natural light pours in through geometric skylights, filling the core public spaces with warmth and vibrancy.