We are pleased to announce two of our projects received a 2022 BSA Healthcare Facilities Design Award: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Chestnut Hill and the VA Providence Medical Center Hemodialysis Unit. The Boston Society for Architecture Design Awards program celebrates innovation in the built environment, and the unique power of architecture not only to design buildings and spaces, but to improve the quality of life for the community. The Healthcare Facilities Design Award features both small and large healthcare projects that aim for a robust approach to sustainability and equity.
DANA-FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE CHESTNUT HILL
The DFCI Chestnut Hill is a comprehensive outpatient cancer diagnosis and treatment facility. Light-filled and welcoming, the adaptive reuse of a former retail site creates a setting to strengthen team-based clinical care that is fundamentally patient focused.
Daylight guides the design. The sun filled atrium unifies and animates waiting and circulation areas, with iconic new skylight enclosures casting diffuse and dappled shadows. Examination and treatment pods radiate outward, framing views of nature. This layout also strengthens collaboration among staff. Utilizing the perimeter provider team workspaces to link “off-stage” staff zones, these sunny spaces enhance communication and enable teams to work together to support a one-day, one-location patient visit.
VA Providence Medical Center Hemodialysis Unit
The Hemodialysis Unit is a new 15-bed, 10,000 SF addition and renovation to the VA Providence Medical Center. Light, space and air define the essence of the project, replacing an abysmal, cramped space. The Hemodialysis Pavilion is a wonderful space nestled in the treetops, like a boat in the ocean with views in all directions, floating above the fray of the asphalt parking lot that surrounds it. Our goal was simple: to provide a spacious light-filled pavilion that is an oasis for our veterans and the staff dedicated to their care.
The pavilion ties directly into the main clinical floor of the hospital and wraps around an existing gingko tree, a central feature viewed from the waiting room. Patient and staff work areas are located along the perimeter with support spaces placed toward the interior of the plan. A vaulted ceiling array above frames the staff workspace, reinforces a sense of community providing a wonderful quality of light and a place to work with optimum visibility.
"Constructing a sustainable living environment for our veterans is not only important for their overall health and well-being but is a gift to our planet. The Community Living Center uses energy-efficient technologies and will nurture the physical, mental, and emotional health of our veterans while dignifying their long-term care needs with a home that honors their sacrifice.”-- Secretary Jon Santiago
The combination of geothermal heating and cooling, a heat recovery system, a high performance building envelope, a 0.7-megawatt rooftop solar array and natural ventilation in all resident spaces yields a building that uses 71% less energy than allowed by code—and eliminates the use of fossil fuels during typical operation.
#earthweek #designalways #buildingscience #netzero
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