Gresham Smith-Designed Healthcare Projects Honored by AIA Jacksonville

November 10, 2021

Two Gresham Smith-designed projects were honored at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Jacksonville Chapter’s Design & Honor Awards Gala on October 15. The UF Health Wildlight Rehabilitation Clinic, Healthy Living Center & YMCA received a Merit Award in the built work category, while the Baptist Health Care Brent Lane Campus received a Merit Award in the unbuilt work category.

“These projects are a testament to our design professionals’ deep understanding of client and patient needs and commitment to developing creative solutions that support better health outcomes and position our clients for the future,” said Matt Flores, AIA, Studio Design Leader at Gresham Smith. “I am proud of our Jacksonville Healthcare studio for having received this industry recognition and look forward to the ways we will continue creating purposeful architecture and engineering design solutions that improve community vitality and health.”

The second component of UF Health’s partnership with Raydient Places to “build a health making place” in Yulee, Florida, the Wildlight community’s newest outpatient facility is comprised of a UF Health Rehabilitation Clinic, Healthy Living Center and YMCA. The building’s distinctive exterior is cohesive with the development’s other buildings, with a “Florida Lowcountry” architecture integrates broad overhangs, board and battens and punched openings. The main entry is clearly marked by a two-story glass curtain wall, canopy, and wood-look rain screen, which welcome visitors into a casual, laid-back space with high ceilings and large windows. Going beyond diagnostic and treatment spaces to support wellness and prevention, the facility’s functional program extends outdoors with exercise lawns, café seating, event lawns and connections to 17-miles of trails.

Challenged by a 71-year-old hospital that could no longer meet the evolving needs of their providers, staff and the growing community, Baptist Health Care called on Gresham Smith to design a new full-scale health campus on a 57-acre site in Pensacola, Florida. The state-of-the-art facilities, which are currently under construction, will include a new 264-bed, 10-story hospital, a 178-square-foot, six-story multispecialty health center, and a central energy plant. Florida’s natural environment, such as windswept sand ripples and shifting clouds, offered design inspiration for the movement and textures across the building façade, while warm, handcrafted materials like terracotta, wood, bronze and terrazzo lend depth and a timeless appearance to modern forms.

The AIA Jacksonville Design and Honor Awards Program honors members, advocates, and industry participants in the Jacksonville architectural profession. These awards encourage excellence in architecture to elevate public consciousness of good planning and design, and recognize those whose work or advocacy enriches the built environment. Design and Honor Awards are bestowed upon members and participants who have contributed to the advancement of architecture, urban planning, art and craftsmanship.

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