AIA Academy of Architecture for Health Facility Tours

The tours will department at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 14, 2010. Pre-registration for the tours is required.


Sharp Memorial HospitalTOUR 1: Sharp Memorial Hospital, The Stephen Birch Healthcare Center
San Diego

The Stephen Birch Healthcare Center reinforces the mission and values embodied in the “Sharp Experience,” which is an ongoing commitment to enhance the patient, family and staff experience. The project consists of a new patient tower linked to the old facility by a curving metal “ribbon wall,” which houses an expanded, light-filled lobby on each patient floor and acts as the building’s key wayfinding element.

Daylight-infused spaces, state-of-the-art technology, simple way-finding, and private patient rooms with family spaces all come together to improve the healing process and reduce stress for all facility users. In addition, patient floors utilize multiple storage spaces throughout the halls for medical equipment, supplies and utilities to allow easy access for staff, necessitating less travel time and freeing up nurses to spend more time with patients. Oversized windows for natural light, artwork, a warm color scheme, extensive patient/visitor accommodations, and a serene jade garden were also included to help further bring the “Sharp Experience” to life.


Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular CenterTOUR 2: Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center

Tour the new one of a kind Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center at the UCSD's Thornton Hospital. This $130,000,000, four story 128,000 sq. ft. addition will be the devoted to Cardiovascular services, including diagnostics, treatment, and education. The facility includes non-invasive cardiology and out-patient clinics, Cath Labs, Cardiac Surgery rooms, a dedicated ICU, and two patient care floors that are designed as Universal beds. The new Cardiovascular Center also includes a new expanded Emergency Department, new Imaging services and a PACU dedicated to heart services. On the tour, you will learn how the High Performing Team concept has yielded innovative project strategies that are resulting in a hospital that is ahead of schedule and under budget:


Acute Care PavilionTOUR 3: Acute Care Pavilion, Rady Children's Hospital
San Diego

Rady Children’s Hospital serves southern California as the San Diego area’s only dedicated hospital for children. The New Acute Care Pavilion addresses the hospital’s critical need to expand bed capacity as many of the regions hospitals have diminished or eliminated pediatric programs. Linked to the existing hospital by a two story bridge, the 275,000 square foot addition provides 133 new beds and 16 operating rooms with a large pre and post-operative unit. The program includes a 32 bed NICU and inpatient and outpatient Hematology/Oncology units. The principles of Evidence Based Design and sustainability guided all aspects of the planning to create an environment that nurtures children and their families. The building is targeted to receive LEED Certified status.


TOUR 4: Palomar Medical Center West
Escondido
Sunday, March 14
(Limited to 110 participants)

This tertiary care replacement hospital currently under construction in northern San Diego County has attracted national attention for its innovative approach to sustainable design, healing environments, and technical execution. CO Architects planned and designed the Phase I development of the 35 acre Greenfield campus to be completed in 2011 and includes the 360 bed hospital and a central plant (760,000 square feet).

Conceived as a vertical garden hospital, the design uses the power of the natural world – gardens and landscape – as a counterpoint to the technological world of medical science. The 2.5 acre green roof and public terrace above the surgery floor brings the landscape into the building. The design incorporates garden spaces on every level of the 11 story nursing tower providing a link to nature throughout the building. A visit to the project site as well as a visit to the patient room mock up is scheduled.


StarCAVETOUR 5: StarCAVE
University of California, San Diego
(limited to 20 participants)

A growing body of research has demonstrated that built conditions in hospitals may affect patient health and recovery, as well as health and performance of staff. What we don't yet know, however, is why we react this way to our surroundings or what we should do to improve human interaction with the built environment.

This tour and presentation will include visiting and experiencing the virtual reality StarCAVE that UCSD researchers are using to map brain responses to simulated architectural environments. The high-resolution virtual immersion CAVE, developed by UCSD's California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), enables the user to be surrounded in 360-degree projections of 3-D, full-scale renderings of the building. This gives a sense of scale and volume not provided by flat screen or headmounted virtual reality images.