Gresham Smith-Designed Addition Advances Master Plan for Sentara BelleHarbour
Gresham Smith announces the completion of a 90,000-square-foot, 4-story addition to the Sentara BelleHarbour campus in Suffolk, Va. This medical building is a key piece of the Gresham Smith-led master plan which aims to administer innovative, full-service care and be a focal point for medical care in the community.
“This new medical building is an important step in meeting the current and future healthcare needs for the Western Tidewater region,” commented Steve Julian, MD, President of Sentara Obici Hospital and Sentara BelleHarbour campus. “Working with Gresham Smith from the earliest stages to plan our campus has provided a roadmap for fulfilling our mission, equipping us with facilities that enable efficient, quality care in a healing environment, while giving us flexibility for future growth.”
“It was important that this addition reflect the quality care provided by Sentara Healthcare and create a beacon for the community,” commented Dave King, AIA, regional vice president at Gresham Smith. “Our design focuses on patient safety, efficiency and the human experience as well as underscores the foundational, patient-centric, quality services provided by the campus.”
The new building connects to and complements the existing 3-story, 75,000-square-foot facility. It houses the emergency department registration, check-in and triage for the original building as well as an ambulatory surgery center, supports services and shell space. The hospitality-inspired registration area intends to advance patient safety and efficiency by allowing a nurse and registrar to assess a patient’s condition at the same time as they are checking in. This streamlines the triage process and reduces the number of times patients’ must provide health information.
To help establish the campus as a community focal point, as well as advance wellness, the team designed a monumental stairwell with a 4-story graphic and large-scale light fixtures. Visible even from the building’s exterior, this active stair aims to encourage activity amongst staff and visitors as well helps draw in and orient visitors. The design also incorporates strategies for energy, water and waste reduction and used durable, recycled or recyclable, low emitting materials.
Operating and procedure rooms, PACU and recovery spaces were designed with efficiency and adaptability in mind and can flex for future expansion. The project also includes a FAA-approved helipad and a second phase, expected to be completed in February 2019, will renovate the first floor of the original building. The firm provided architecture, interior design, structural engineering, civil engineering and landscape architecture services for the project.