Gresham Smith Selected to Design Critical Care Tower in North Carolina
Gresham Smith is proud to announce that the firm, in partnership with McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, has been selected by Novant Health to design a new critical-care tower at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The tower, which is the second phase of Novant Health’s comprehensive capital investment at Forsyth Medical Center, will improve access for patients in the surrounding community and provide expert care in an optimally designed space that prioritizes the patient experience and promotes healing.
“Our team is excited to be partnering with Novant Health throughout the planning and design process to understand their goals and meet the facility’s needs. The design is intended to create a welcoming patient experience while equipping staff to provide the high level of care that Novant Health is known for,” said Kristen Bell, AIA, EDAC, LEED AP, senior architect at Gresham Smith. “We’re also thinking about flexibility for the future—this past year has taught us a lot about preparing facilities for the changing landscape of healthcare.”
The five-story, 193,480-square-foot tower will complement the existing hospital’s exterior with brick, glass and metal panels. Inside the entrance, the main lobby will feature floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the waiting area with natural light, while the furniture and finishes will take cues from the local community’s gardens and parks.
The first floor will house an expanded pre- and post-operative space, enhanced operating rooms and support spaces, while the second, third and fourth floors will house a combined 36 medical-surgical beds and 60 critical care beds. The standardized patient rooms will be larger than existing rooms on the campus to provide additional flexibility, enabling the rooms to be converted to intensive care or isolation rooms to handle higher-complexity care. A centralized nurse station on each patient floor will create operational efficiencies, while smaller decentralized work niches outside patient rooms will enhance patient care and support increased bedside nursing time.
The new critical care tower, which is projected to open in late 2024, is a continuation of Gresham Smith’s work with Novant Health. The firm previously designed Novant Mint Hill Medical Center, renovated Novant Presbyterian Medical Center’s Inpatient Unit and upgraded the façade and concourse at Novant UVA Health System Prince William Medical Center.