Contract - October 2010 - (Page 73)

Among the significant findings the architects uncovered while learning about the Chickasaw’s way of life was the fact that the tribe sees healing the sick as a community effort. “They wanted very efficient, sophisticated medical care, but were committed to operating with a very patient-centric approach as they regard healing the sick as a community responsibility,” says Speck. This notion impacted the way in which the architects designed the medical center and patient rooms on several levels. “Basically, what we’ve created is a one-stop shop in which in-patient and out-patient wings along with a pharmacy, radiology, women’s health, pediatrics, dentistry, surgery, and mental health are all integrated under one roof,” says Speck. “Not only is this arrangement better for the patients and their families, but doctors also can see both in-patients and out-patients without bisecting their day, allowing for a more synergistic working pattern.” Other aspects of the design that support the Chickasaw culture are public spaces enriched with Chickasaw craftworks and artifacts on walls and in display cases, as well as generously sized patient rooms, which are furnished with multipurpose seating elements, such as daybeds, to accommodate multiple family members and friends who visit and may want to spend the night with a patient. Bridges along the upper levels of the town center provide circulation along the northeast side of the facility (opposite). The floor pattern in the patient wing plays on a Chickasaw motif (below). Each band marks the portals to each room, all of which are arranged in the same manner to ease intuitive staff responses in the event of an emergency. The diamond pattern common in Chickasaw handicrafts is evident in the terrazzo floor pattern in a corridor leading to the women’s health area (right). The bends and twists in the corridor keep the passage from feeling like a linear “railroad track,” says architect Larry Speck. “The Chickasaw Nation wanted very efficient, sophisticated medical care, but were committed to operating with a very patientcentric approach as they regard healing the sick as a community responsibility.” –Larry Speck www.contractdesign.com contract october 2010 73

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - October 2010

Contract - October 2010
Contents
Editor's Note
Industry
Resources
Focus: What's Next
Focus: A New Conversation
Materials: Cork and Circumstances
Green: Net Zero
Practice: The Office That Never Closes
Splashy and Sustainable
The Art of Healthcare Design
Best Foot Forward
Harmonious and Healthy
Of Sea and Stone
Live Long and Prosper
Trends: From Illness Care to Wellness Care
Process: On the Front Line
Designers Rate
Sources
Ad Index
Perspectives

Contract - October 2010