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In 1998, Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Illinois was a 70-year old institution looking to change its image from a “rural hospital” to that of a regional medical center. For this to happen, Condell needed improved circulation for patients, staff and visitors, greater operational efficiency, state of the art equipment, and a building that makes people feel inspired and welcomed.
Condell Medical Center has been growing rapidly. Condell’s market share in Lake County grew from 14% in 1991 to 29% today. The hospital’s occupancy rate has increased between 14% and 16% per year for the past five years. A challenge for the architects was to preserve the hospital’s rate of growth during an enormous ongoing construction project, which included the demolition of the main entrance. After a year of master planning, begun in 1998, it was determined that the best location for the expansion was directly on top of the existing entryway. The team needed to devise an alternative entry path through an adjacent building which could remain intact during construction. This entrance was then turned into a gallery of images of the future building conveying the vision of the new hospital.
Another challenge we faced was in constructing entirely new department facilities without interrupting services. This was achieved by building new facilities adjacent to the existing ones and then moving entire departments into the new structures. The vacated space became “swing space” – meeting the needs of the moving departments and allowing flexibility for future expansion.
In 1980, a major addition was added to Condell that matched the floor-to-floor heights in the adjoining 1956 bed tower. The 1956 building used through-wall air conditioning units that did not require overhead ductwork, resulting in very restrictive floor-to-floor heights between eleven and twelve feet. Since the 1980 building represented the majority of the existing useable square footage, the hospital decided that building ramps between it and our new building was not an option. The solution was to put the ducts on the outside in mechanical buttresses. The result was more duct shafts with smaller ducts penetrating the building from the outside. The ceiling space in the center of the building was then available for other systems. Elevator shafts, linen and trash chutes were also moved to the perimeter to allow maximum flexibility for the floor area. The newly designed exterior of the building presented the solution to a complex problem. This technical solution became one of the strong aesthetic features of the building.
The exterior material is pre-cast concrete that is self-supporting, resulting in smaller interior columns and more floor area. Utilizing pre-cast concrete also allowed the use of applied art. The decorative bands that surround the building are an overlay of an abstracted human figure and a pulse symbolizing the health of the community. The mechanical buttresses were designed as abstracted flower forms with a leaf-shaped base and stem leading to a flower on top of the buttress. These forms reflect a great inspiration: Nature. While sustaining much of the natural complementing landscape, the highly articulated facades create a new image for Condell.
This image is further reinforced as visitors and/or patients arrive and are greeted by a uniformed valet who emerges from an integrated kiosk, directing them to the Main Lobby. Upon entry to the Main Lobby, the visitor/patient is introduced to a three-story light-filled glass atrium that distinctly curves, suggesting a path to follow. The ambiance of the Main Lobby is closer to a luxury hotel than a traditional hospital. Soaring height, sweeping lines, natural light and materials, and flowing water produce an atmosphere of both grandeur and warmth. Within the Lobby, beneath the curved glass curtain-wall is an intimate seating area. The lower ceiling height, rich textures of fabrics and deep wood stains of the furniture are a backdrop for conversation or rest. The brushed-bronze elevators, monumental stairway and information desk are also centrally located in the Main Lobby -providing access to the second floor New Life Center and third floor Surgery. All are designed with materials integrated throughout the hospital: maple and anigre woods, brushed bronze, stainless steel, and granite. The Main Lobby itself alludes to the hospital’s interior architecture and design.
Hospital Registration is located to the right of the main Lobby desk. Registering patients are led to the waiting area by a sky lit path that looks out over a garden. All pre-admission testing services such as Phlebotomy, Radiology, EKG, and the anesthesiologist interview take place in a single area adjacent to Registration.
Directly off the Main Lobby Corridor is the entrance to the Women’s Center, which includes the first hospital-based spa in the state of Illinois. Soft lighting, soothing colors, and three water features welcome the visitor and/or patient. A full-service spa off the lobby of the hospital was designed both to expand the public’s view of healthcare and healing and to forge a greater link with the community. Condell’s easily accessible “InnerSpa” is open to the public as well as to patients and staff.
In addition to traditional spa services such as massage, manicure and pedicure, the InnerSpa offers cosmetic consultation to women who may suffer disfigurement from a medical condition, chemotherapy, or surgery. Patients can now consult about prosthetics or be fitted for a wig as part of a truly integrated healthcare program. Surrounding the spa are Women’s Imaging, a Daycare Center and Ob-Gyn physician offices.
Located just past the Women’s Center is the Condell Café. This combination coffeehouse and gift shop was positioned off the Main Corridor to take advantage of the heavy foot traffic.
The New Life Center on the second floor is linked to the Main Lobby by the atrium. It contains an activity room with television, children’s play area with views overlooking the Main Lobby, as well as a cozy library complete with fireplace, bookshelves and computer internet connections. The birthing rooms are designed to make a mother feel as if she has checked into a luxury hotel. Faux-wood floors, maple and dark cherry TV cabinet, curtains, and a convertible sofa for an overnight guest all lend themselves to the sophisticated and timeless décor of each LDR/Post-Partum Room. Quiet seating areas, located directly across from each birthing room, are provided for families of patients in labor and delivery.
Surgery is located on the third floor, with a waiting area which is connected to the Main Lobby via the three-story atrium. The waiting area has windows on three sides and offers an excellent view of the surrounding landscape. This surgical suite is designed around a sterile core, which is directly linked by elevator to central sterile processing. This same elevator also serves the sterile core in the new life center operating rooms on the second floor. The surgery suite contains two state-of-the-art cardiac operating rooms to house Condell’s growing open-heart program.
From concept through completion, our objective for the architecture and interior design was to serve the needs of the patient, the visitor and the staff at every level. People visiting hospitals are under enormous stress – in some cases fighting for their own lives or that of a loved one. What more important place could there be for efficient procedures, clear way-finding, comfortable destinations and overall care for the patient and visitor?
Pratt Design Studio was responsible for all documents through design development and 70% of the construction documents. We were responsible for Interior Design on the project. At the end of Design Development, a Joint Venture was formed with HDR Architecture who performed 30% of the Construction Documents and 70% of the Construction Administration. |
