| Building Better Facilities |
| Healthcare Facility | |
| By Brooke Knudson | |
| Wednesday, 18 July 2007 | |
 Architecture firm Perkins Eastman says it designs exemplary healthcare and senior living facilities. The firm approaches each project in health-related markets by conceptualizing how a project’s design will impact the well-being of the end-user, says J. David Hoglund, principal and director of the firm’s senior living practice. “We see ourselves as good problem-solvers and purveyors of innovation, and senior living and healthcare are two areas where we have demonstrated this on a national and international level,” Hoglund adds. Company Legacy Mary-Jean Eastman and L. Bradford Perkins co-founded the company in 1981 with an eye toward offering architectural design for the private and public sectors in several international markets. “The firm is united in the belief that innovative design is the result of an understanding of client goals, building type, context and budget, and the synthesis of these issues by principal-level architects with proven design abilities,” Perkins says. “This philosophy allows us to produce award-winning projects and earn the respect of our clients, resulting in many long-term relationships.” Perkins’ Evolution The “dual concern with client satisfaction and design excellence” has led to organic growth, the company says. Perkins Eastman has established 10 full-service offices in the United States and abroad and employs more than 700 people. Healthcare and senior living account for more than half of its annual business. “Our public and nonprofit projects have dealt with complex planning, design, phasing and construction issues, and all aspects of the approval process,” the company asserts. Its portfolio includes bed additions, medical office suites, diagnostic and treatment centers and innovative settings that bridge healthcare and housing for retirement communities, assisted-living centers and geriatric ambulatory clinics. “One thing that sets us apart is that we really understand the clients’ business model and how design impacts patients and residents,” says co-founder, Principal and Director Eastman. Clients Come First Responding to clients’ needs takes top priority at the firm, which management ensures by being very hands-on. “The principals at this firm are dedicated to marrying our clients’ needs with those of the end-user in the areas of healthcare and senior living; the human piece is a necessity,” Hoglund adds. In order to be progressive in its concepts, the firm must be more than simply an architect, he asserts. Each project starts with a brainstorming session where the designers meet with the clients to develop a master plan to carry out the overall vision of the project. The sessions also aim to determine potential obstacles that may affect a building’s design, such as zoning constraints or working around facilities that must be operational during new construction. Expanding Upward Space constraints in urban areas have forced the company to devise strategies for planning and designing urban infill projects. Perkins Eastman was part of the design team for a new facility for Memorial Sloan-Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center’s Surgical Center in New York. When the center needed additional space for modern operating rooms, a five-story structure was built on four large columns, which extended through the floors to the foundation to support upward expansion. The building houses a state-of-the-art 21-room surgery suite with pre- and post-operating space, as well as other facilities. The project received New York Construction magazine’s Best of 2006 Award of Merit for Healthcare and Hospitals. Perkins Eastman has completed a string of design projects for MSK including a 14-story, 240,000-square-foot breast cancer center and an outpatient pavilion which serves as the flagship of the center’s off-campus ambulatory care network. The center offers services including diagnostic and interventional imaging, medical and surgical oncology, infusion and chemotherapy and psychosocial programs. The firm worked with MSK to conduct a planning study for the breast cancer center to establish a hotel-inspired feel where patients are welcomed in a therapeutic environment, says Principal Richard Sprow. The company says an initial planning study was performed to place “the new facility in an easy-access commercial neighborhood rather than in areas dominated by medical facilities.” Through its ongoing relationship with MSK, Perkins Eastman provided the structural renovation services for the renovation of MSK Cancer Center’s eighth floor to develop an inpatient department for the treatment of bone marrow disorders. The firm held several meetings with the facility’s staff, patients and patients’ families to determine the aspirations of the the new department. The 17,000-square-foot floor features a bone marrow transplant unit, increased patient bedroom size and a hospitality like interior design for increased patient and family comfort. “The upscale, hotel-like environment is essential as patients are typically in the center for 30 days or more, often with family,” the firm says. “Thus, each of the rooms includes family member accommodations, a large family pantry and family shower room on the floor.” The firm’s growing list of healthcare clientele also includes the New York University Clinical Cancer Center and the Duke University Medical Center. International Trends An aging population paired with globalization is driving international projects in areas that traditionally lack elderly care facilities, Hoglund says. “The most common international project that someone wants to do is the Western-style healthcare facility,” he adds. In Japan, the firm designed five retirement communities that incorporate Western retirement living concepts. Sun City Project For Sun City Takatsuki, the firm used the U.S.-based cluster design concept where smaller “neighborhoods” are located off a central walkway in the building. The firm says the design “combines Western programs and insights with Japanese culture, and provides high service in a contemporary, hospitality like setting for Japan’s aging population.” The 170,000-square-foot apartment building is comprised of 24 assisted-living apartments, 91 independent-living apartments and 68 specialized nursing rooms. Perkins Eastman designed the facility with the Japanese culture in mind. Public spaces at Sun City include a Japanese tea room, two menu-style dining rooms, a private dining room, library and barber/beauty salon. Public areas include large family kitchens, terraces and landscaping with gardening areas for residents to grow and care for their own flowers and vegetables. The facility has received several awards, including the Special Recognition Award from the American Institute of Architects and the American Association of Homes & Services for the Aging, Design for Aging Review. Sunrise Senior Living Hoglund says the firm is also designing six independent-living centers known as the Sunrise Senior Living Condominiums for Life in the United States. One such center, The Sterling of Memorial Villages in Houston, is a 50,000-square-foot facility featuring a contemporary exterior with an iconic glass tower entry, softened by modern-classical interiors. The building contains 166 apartments ranging in size from 1,000 square feet to 3,000 square feet. These one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartment variations offer two full baths, a balcony, and an open plan kitchen/dining area with peninsula seating and expansive windows. Public spaces include a full-service dining room with kitchen, concierge service, Internet café and lounge, library, game room, art studio, exercise facilities and garage. “We are committed to providing exemplary settings for seniors where privacy, dignity and independence are key design considerations,” the firm says. In addition, Perkins Eastman’s expertise in senior housing includes retirement communities, residential living developments, assisted living residences, skilled and intermediate care nursing homes, personal care homes, residential Alzheimer’s facilities and geriatric ambulatory clinics. Major Kudos Extensive experience has earned the firm the No. 17 spot on Interior Design magazine’s Top-100 Interior Design Giants of 2007. The magazine noted that the company’s four million square feet of installed work was valued at an estimated $605 million. |
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