Dixie Regional Medical Center
St. George, Utah
Anshen+Allen

Natural inspiration makes this medical center warm and welcoming

© John Edward Linden

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This 400,000-square-foot medical center features patient rooms designed to enhance healing by offering views of nature and encouraging family support. Replacing an existing facility about a mile away, the facility features a three-story diagnostic and treatment wing, a five-story inpatient tower with 132 beds, and a four-story physician office building, all linked by a central concourse. The color and landscape palette was drawn from the surrounding desert.

A main atrium draws inspiration from “slot canyons” (narrow canyons formed by flowing water) found in nearby Mt. Zion National Park. Oriented to allow southwest light into the hospital’s interior, the atrium connects visitors to the outdoors and clarifies wayfinding. Visitors and patients have separate hallways; visitors pass a healing garden on their way to the patient tower, where a guest concierge directs them to their destinations. Patients are admitted at bedside. The central concourse provides individual entrances to major services such as surgery, imaging, and cardiology. By locating emergency care, imaging, and cardiology services adjacent to each other, the design promotes collaboration among the departments. The relatively large 24-bed ICU was designed as a triangle with three clusters of eight beds each. This configuration gives patients more privacy and makes supervision easier for nurses.

Drawing on research demonstrating that views of nature speed healing, the design orients the patient tower to maximize views of the surrounding desert from the rooms. The design also emphasizes privacy, dignity, and connections to family. Waiting alcoves allow family members and caregivers to have discussions in private. All rooms are single occupancy and come furnished with pullout sofas and wood accessories.

Formal name of Project:
Dixie Regional Medical Center

Location:
St. George, Utah

Gross square footage:
431,226 sq. ft.

Owner:
Intermountain Health Care

Architect:
Anshen+Allen
901 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
tel – 415.882.9500
fax – 415.882.9523
www.anshen.com