Tallahassee Memorial Hospital – M.T. Mustian Center Surgery & Critical Care Tower

The M.T. Mustian Center, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s (TMH) new surgery and critical care tower, provides state-of-the-art critical care services with cutting-edge adult intensive care units to meet the growing demand in the region. Gresham Smith worked with TMH from inception to completion, developing a master plan that would anticipate the region’s needs for the next 50 years with a building that could adapt to emerging technologies as well as growth.

Using Lean design and a research-backed, human-centered approach, we created a space that supports enhanced care, building efficiency and staff effectiveness. We also designed upgrades to the parking garage and associated hospital entrances as well as the main atrium to further improve the patient and visitor experience.

347k

square-foot tower

ICU beds

stories, with vertical expansion opportunity

Carefully Planned, Designed for the Future

Named in honor of the hospital’s former president and longtime administrator, the late Middleton Truet “M.T.” Mustian, the new patient tower is a result of years of careful planning. In 2011, we developed a master plan, and in 2014, we began the design process. The result is a highly flexible building with 27 standard ORs—including five hybrid ORs, four of which are interventional radiology suites—as well as support services to increase surgery capacity.

A 13,000-square-foot expansion to the central energy plant supports the entire patient tower, while the facility can accommodate two future floors above and support spaces sized for a future OR expansion.

Optimizing for Both Experience and Efficiency

We employed Lean Six Sigma principles and tools to improve staff efficiency and effectiveness, while looking for ways to lower operational costs.

We also incorporated evidence-based design solutions for improved patient outcomes and satisfaction. These included staff respite areas, minimizing noise and patient movement, comfortable and family-friendly areas, connectivity to nature and various-infection control strategies.

The Importance of Facetime

We designed the facility to maximize patient visualization and interaction. Besides charting locations, there are distributed support spaces—which help minimize travel distances—and nurse observation perches outside every ICU room.

Integrated technology supports cutting-edge care as well as efficiency. Building-wide asset management and smart, autonomous mobile robots that deliver materials means less time searching for equipment and supplies and more time with patients.

The Power of the First Impression

In conjunction with the M.T. Mustian project, TMH needed to address wayfinding issues for the visitor and patient experience through parking garage and atrium updates.

Nearly all visitors enter the hospital through a large parking garage that leads to the Dozier atrium. However, the garage was dark and confusing. We designed upgraded vestibules and lighting, and added large, backlit artwork for visual cues.

Previously, the atrium was dark with limited sightlines, with the translucent roof becoming dingy over the years. The natural light provided by the new ceiling and sleek, cohesive lighting and finishes create a feeling reminiscent of an art gallery. We also created a monumental stair for connectivity in the two-story space and refreshed the existing coffee shop with a dedicated café seating area.

A Platform for Exceptional Care

Gresham Smith provided master planning, programming, architecture, interior design, wayfinding and mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineering to help transform TMH’s campus and care through this new facility. A truly collaborative effort, we worked closely with their physicians, nurses, staff and community members, soliciting feedback to mock-ups.

The culmination of years of careful, strategic planning and design, the M.T. Mustian Center is a flexible, efficient and human-centric facility that provides clinicians and staff the platform they need to provide exceptional care.