Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital
Vancouver, Wash.
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership
Green hospital makes use of natural surroundings
In designing Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital, a massive new hospital and medical office complex, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca proved that medical facilities can put patients first and yet still be good environmental citizens. This new complex includes a 220-bed, six-story hospital; two four-story medical office buildings with a connecting atrium; and a seven-story parking structure for 1,464 cars. It is LEED certified and nabbed a citation from Portland’s AIA chapter for its green design elements.
The hospital includes two L-shaped patient towers over a two-story base. The towers’ top floors each contain 64 private patient rooms organized into clusters of 16. All rooms feature a private bathroom and furnishings to accommodate overnight stays by family members. ZGF angled these patient towers in order to maximize views of the adjacent landscape and Mount Hood. The design also allows for south-facing outdoor terraces off the cafeteria, chapel, and conference rooms.
The main building elevation features a curved façade with large punched windows into the patient rooms and treatment spaces, as well as a glazed double-height lobby. Overhead glass-enclosed pedestrian bridges link the complex and provide a lantern-like quality at night. A central courtyard with a water element, plazas, and seating also connects the complex on the ground level, providing opportunities for visitors and staff to interact in the outdoors. The exterior materials of brick, glass, metal, and stone extend into the main public spaces as interior finishes.
ZGF used every opportunity to bring natural light into the building. Relights, for instance, draw daylight from the hallways into the operating rooms. In addition to light, the hospital’s other green elements include attention to indoor air quality, which benefits patients and staff alike, as well site design. The landscape designers incorporated indigenous plants, pervious surfaces, and natural stormwater retention zones.
Formal name of project:
Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital
Location:
Vancouver, Wash.
Gross square footage:
1.1 million sq. ft.
Total Construction Cost:
$163 million
Owner:
Legacy Health System
Architect:
Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership
320 SW Oak St., Suite 500
Portland, OR 97204
503-224-3860 tel.
503-224-2482 fax
www.zgf.com
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