Outpatient Care Facility
Chicago, Ill..
Perkins & Will

Modular units make this health facility user-friendly and efficient

© Nick Merrick / Hedrich Blessing

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A new, 240,000-square-foot facility has been built on the University of Chicago’s existing dense, urban medical campus. It is surrounded by a multitude of buildings, each with its own architectural style and character. This facility is intended to link the various images into a cohesive whole, yet retain its own unique character. This linking quality is not only visual, but physical as well.

Defined during the programming phase, the facility is organized around a variety of centralizing functional areas where related clinics are grouped together, allowing for the sharing of clinical and administrative support space. This grouping pattern has resulted in the development of highly effective, well-utilized multi-disciplinary practices. A patient is able to receive immediate consultation from the specialty physicians within each center. To enhance this concept, the architect designed them as modular units, with universal exam, procedure, and consultation rooms. This modularity allows for maximum utilization of the individual centers as well as flexibility of use among them.

The facility is designed to fulfill a number of key objectives, including the promotion of an atmosphere of collaboration, cooperation, and sharing of resources; organizing the facility around the integration of services, technology, a multidisciplinary care team, and patient and family participation; and planning the facility to effectively compete in the managed care market. It will serve as the new gateway for the medical center complex and represent the high caliber of care delivered by the university. This project influenced the evolution of an existing clinical practice into a cohesive and highly competitive market force within Chicago.

Formal name of Project:
Outpatient Care Facility

Location:
Chicago, Ill.

Gross square footage:
245,000 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$64 million

Owner:
University of Illinois at Chicago

Architect:
Perkins & Will
330 N. Wabash, Suite 3600
Chicago, Illinois 60611
Ph: 312.755.0770
Fax: 312.755.0775