Gresham Smith to Design Renovation at Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center

November 23, 2021

Gresham Smith is proud to announce that the firm has been selected by Bon Secours to provide architecture, interior design and wayfinding design services for a $50 million expansion at Memorial Regional Medical Center in Mechanicsville, Virginia. The team will renovate the 51,000-square-foot, two-story former Sheltering Arms Rehabilitation Hospital, which is located adjacent to the hospital and was purchased by the health system, to house 41 new inpatient beds.

“The Greater Richmond Region is growing quickly, which means additional healthcare spaces are needed to accommodate the influx of residents,” said Pat Burke, AIA, EDAC, Senior Vice President at Gresham Smith. “We’re excited to work with Memorial Regional Medical Center to create a space that optimizes the patient and staff experience and increases capacity while also affording the flexibility to grow in the future.”

This project builds upon a feasibility study Gresham Smith previously conducted on the Sheltering Arms building to help the healthcare organization understand what it would take to convert the facility into an acute care space. Based on the findings, the project team will create 41 new medical-surgical beds for the relocated orthopedic and neurology units. Gresham Smith will also upgrade an existing unit in the hospital, adding 11 intensive care unit beds and three additional medical-surgical beds, for a total of 44 new beds once the project is complete.

Shifting from a decentralized nursing model to a hybrid approach, centralized nurse stations will promote caregiver collaboration while touchdown stations outside patient rooms will enable nursing staff to closely monitor patients without interruption while also providing space to complete charting and other tasks. A cool color palette with neutrals and blues will create a calm, comforting atmosphere for patients, family members and staff, and a dedicated family room with seating and a kitchenette will provide a space for respite. The design team will also enclose the ground floor concourse to create connectivity between the main hospital and expanded space.

Construction is anticipated to begin in March 2022.