The Orthopaedic & Rheuma­tology Associates building in Bettendorf, Iowa, provides the highest quality of orthopaedic care in a contemporary, comforting setting.

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An architectural trendsetter in the Midwest, Gere/Dismer Architects has been designing for healthcare clients throughout Illinois and Iowa for more than two decades. Partners and principals Perry Gere and Jeff Dismer first met as colleagues, working for an architectural firm in the area whose origins dated back to the 1950s. Gere and a former partner purchased the firm 24 years ago, and Dismer came on board as partner four years later. Their predecessor company was a trendsetter in the Midwest, Dismer says, one that “really stressed innovation in design, which laid the foundation for our own firm’s philosophy.”   

Gere/Dismer Architects performs the majority of its work within a 100-mile radius of its Rock Island, Ill., headquarters. “We really pride ourselves on the fact that the majority of our commissions come as a result of repeat clients or referrals,” Dismer says. “Our philosophy is to provide the highest level of architectural service and design to each individual client, and we work really hard to build a long-term relationship with that client. For example, our relationship with one local hospital, Trinity Medical Center, dates back to our predecessor firm and the hospital’s predecessors.”   

Maintaining long-term relationships with its clients enables Gere/Dismer Architects to become thoroughly familiar with the facilities in which they work. “It’s about being an architect that can provide the high level of service for the client, getting to know and understanding their facility as technologies and their needs change,” Dismer explains. “New technology and innovation is constantly required in a healthcare facility, and it’s our job to come up with the best solution whether it’s a renovation, new construction or a combination of both.”

An Experienced, Reliable Firm
Although Gere/Dismer Architects enjoys a diverse portfolio of projects, Dismer says approximately 40 percent of its work is in the arena of healthcare design. As such, “We work hard to create comfortable environment,” he asserts.    

The company has created new facilities for a variety of specialty uses in the healthcare industry. It says the Orthopaedic & Rheuma­tology Associates (ORA) building is a new facility providing the highest quality of orthopaedic care in a contemporary, comforting setting. The ORA building includes physicians’ clinical space, patient service for radiology and rehabilitation and an ambulatory surgical center.   

Gere/Dismer Architects also designed a 16-bed hospice care facility for Genesis VNA. The freestanding Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House provides care and comfort to terminally ill patients in the final days of one’s life. “Upon entering the house, one gets a sense that they are indeed home,” Gere says. “Wood floors, beautiful interior furnishings and original artwork convey the warmth and comforts of home.”    

In addition to new healthcare buildings, a special area of emphasis for Gere/Dismer is working within existing hospital facilities to make technology improvements and enhancing healing environments. This should prove beneficial to the firm, as the recessed economy has forced most healthcare organizations to reevaluate their master plans, with many opting to expand or retrofit their facilities vs. building entirely new ones.

“When you’re looking at renovation work within a hospital and how to meet new needs in healthcare, knowing that facility and the intricacies of it – as the majority of these hospitals have been built in multiple phases – allows you to understand the building architecturally, structurally and mechanically and how to adjust it to serve today’s needs,” Dismer explains.   

“Another big element that always comes into play, particularly the Illinois facilities, is meeting the requirements of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH),” he continues. “We pride ourselves on having an excellent working relationship with the IDPH and that is a relationship that must be maintained as you present a project. We need to determine what those code deficiencies are within the facilities that need to be addressed. This requires a strong understanding of the life safety codes that apply in all healthcare settings, and meeting those code requirements is a strong part of the work that we do.”

A Thorough Understanding
Perry Memorial Hospital in Princeton, Ill., is one hospital with which Gere/Dismer Architects has had a strong relationship for many years, Dismer says. “It’s a 98-bed critical-access hospital that serves a smaller community and surrounding rural counties,” he describes, “and also has a very long history as they are working in an older facility that has seen a multitude of renovations and additions over the years.”   

The company is overseeing construction of the third phase of a six-phase master plan “that we performed for them to make improvements and alterations to their facility to serve today’s healthcare and healing environment needs,” Dismer notes. “We created a new outpatient services entry on the backside of the original hospital, essentially turning the hospital around and providing a new focal point and access point for patient care. Now, we’re back to the front door to carry through our established design palette from the original project throughout the remainder of the facility.   

“We’re seeing a significant turn toward outpatient and ambulatory care, both within hospitals and freestanding facilities,” he adds. “The long stays in the hospital are being reduced so the original inpatient facility – although still needed and always will be needed – will require a lot more services for those who come in to have a procedure, have minimal recovery time and leave within a shorter period of time.

"Being able to make those services easily accessible is a primary trend that we are seeing and addressing. The outpatient facilities originally were limited in scope, but now they’re becoming a primary emphasis. Creating a main access point where patients and families can enter a comfortable environment and understand quickly where they need to go is very important.”

Creating Healing Environments
Gere/Dismer Architects also has spotted a trend in making hospital environments more personable and comfortable. “A lot of the existing facilities were originally constructed to be very sterile and cold environments,” Dismer says. “We’re trying to soften that edge while still meeting all of the requirements that are needed. We want to make the environment more comfortable – almost more of a homelike setting – by utilizing wood, incorporating warm, soothing colors and readjusting the lighting.”   

The company’s skill in creating warm, inviting environments can be found in its own work space, which is located in a turn-of-the-century, three-story commercial building. “We constructed a loft office so that we have a very open office environment that we feel is very creative and encourages interaction amongst the people in our office,” Dismer says.   

Despite the economy, Gere/Dismer Architects is enjoying a very consistent workload, he adds. “We see ourselves as being very fortunate that the economy hasn’t affected us in a negative way,” Dismer says. “We have strong relationships with very good clients who still see a need to build and plan. I see us expanding and growing in the years to come as we address the needs of healthcare facilities and can be creative in renovations for today’s healing environment.”