Healthcare Design - December 2017 - 23

HCD EXPO TOUR

O R L A N D O VA M E D I C A L
CENTER: A CASE STUDY
IN FLEXIBLE DESIGN
THE HCD EXPO included nine facility tours, including a visit
to the Orlando VA Medical Center. Opened in 2015, the
950,000-square-foot facility houses a 134-bed hospital and
an outpatient building with 25 clinics, training and education
spaces, an auditorium, medical library, and simulation lab.
During design and programming of the Orlando VA
Medical Center, the project team, including the joint venture team of RLF and Ellerbe Becket (which was acquired
by AECOM in 2009), focused on providing flexible and
collaborative patient room and staff workspaces. That foresight and planning strategy proved invaluable shortly after
the facility opened, when the VA reorganized its clinical
services into Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACTs) built on
the patient-centered medical home model.
Laura Finfrock, construction coordinator at Orlando VA
Medical Center, said the clinic building includes 14 pods of
six exam rooms arranged around a central staff workspace
with two doors for each exam room, one leading to an onstage corridor for patients and the other to the offstage staff
area. When the VA adopted its PACT model, the layout was
already equipped to handle the team-based care approach,
with staff members, including behavioral health specialists,
social workers, a pharmacist, nurses, and clinicians, utilizing the offstage zone.
Another example of flexible thinking came early in
the timeline of the 10-year project, when the prospective
facility site was sold to another buyer after design and
planning schematics had already begun. A new greenfield
site was chosen and the team began adapting its plans to
the 65-acre location, including figuring out where to locate
1,200 parking spaces. The team didn't want patients and
visitors to walk long distances in the Florida sun, while the
client didn't want a massive garage built in front of the
main entrance.
The solution was to divide the parking into two garages
and locate them on each side of the facility. The garages
feed directly into light-filled corridors that connect to the
inpatient building on the south end of the campus and the
outpatient building on the north side. The design team then
flipped the onstage and offstage areas, putting waiting
areas, exam rooms, and patient spaces closer to the center
of the building to reduce travel distances, while the back-ofhouse areas were moved to the perimeter.
The adaptable planning strategies and design features
helped the design team deliver on its goals to create a facility that was monumental and efficient for the staff, while
honoring vets. "We thought, this is our one chance to do
something great for our veterans," Finfrock said.- A D

The winners of Healthcare Design's annual Design Showcase and Remodel/Renovation
Competition programs were celebrated during an awards luncheon at the HCD Expo.
Pictured from left to right: Douglas Carney, senior vice president, facilities services,
real estate and construction management, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Julie
Robertson, interior design practice leader, HDR; Jocelyn Stroupe, principal, director of
healthcare interiors, CannonDesign; Diane Osan, CEO, FKP Architects; Jennifer Kovacs
Silvis, editor-in-chief, Healthcare Design; Mark Shoemaker, principal, Pelli Clarke Pelli
Architects; Scott Thomas, senior vice president, CannonDesign; Kent Muirhead, design
principal, CannonDesign; Carolyn BaRoss, design principal, Perkins+Will; and Suzen
Heeley, executive director, design and construction, Memorial Sloan Kettering. (For more on
the 2017 Remodel/Renovation Competition, see page 43.)

N I G H T I N G A L E AWA R D S

2017 EXPO HALL WINNERS
Healthcare Design Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Kovacs Silvis and Contract Editor-inChief John Czarnecki announced the winners of the 2017 Nightingale Awards
at the HCD Expo. Named after Florence Nightingale and presented in partnership with The Center for Health Design, the program recognizes contributions
to the healthcare built environment through product design that contributes to
healing. Jurors judged the products in the expo hall, selecting 27 winners in14
product categories. Mohawk Group's Lichen carpet collection was honored
as the Best of Competition winner. See below for gold winners, and watch for
expanded coverage in the February issue of Healthcare Design.
* Gold Award in Architectural Products: Clinical
Acrovyn by Design Patterns Collection, Construction Specialties
* Gold Award in Architectural Products: Non-Clinical
Ligature-Resistant Sliding Door System, Accurate Lock and Hardware
* Gold Award in Carpet
Lichen, Mohawk Group
* Gold Award in Fabrics & Textiles
Project ICU, C.F. Stinson
* Gold Award in Flooring: Resilient
Norament Arago, Nora Systems
* Gold Award in Furniture: Clinician Support
Intent Solution, Herman Miller
* Gold Award in Furniture Collections
Resilia Drum Table, Stance Healthcare
* Gold Award in Seating: Guest/Lounge
Valayo Collection, Integra Seating
* Gold Award in Seating: Patient
Ruckus Task Chair, KI
* Gold Award in Technology-Integrated Solutions
IQvitals Zone, Midmark Corp.

DECEMBER 2017

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Healthcare Design - December 2017

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