With a vision to create a national and global destination for orthopedic and musculoskeletal care, Crystal Clinic Orthopedic Center in Akron, Ohio drew design inspiration from hospitality environments to create a concierge-like patient experience.
The effort earned the 167,500-square-foot project Best of Competition in the 2022 IIDA Healthcare Design Awards program. “We wanted to design a facility that felt less like a hospital, with design elements that really set Crystal Clinic apart from other hospital systems,” said Daniel J. Ferry, president and CEO at Crystal Clinic.
Opening in November 2021, Crystal Clinic partnered with HGA (Milwaukee) to bring this vision to life by embracing the contemporary design of a luxury hotel for the three-story facility. It houses 12 operating rooms; 60 private patient rooms; and a QuickCare facility to provide immediate, specialized walk-in urgent care for sports and orthopedic injuries.
Interior spaces are designed to be calming with sophisticated finishes, such as patterned privacy screens and a variety of seating options, to support the healing process. Large floor-to-ceiling windows provide plenty of natural light while showcasing the surrounding scenic landscape. On the third floor, patient rooms on the perimeter of the building overlook the tree-rich grounds, while interior rooms overlook a central courtyard with a roof garden.
Designers framed those views to outdoor elements with contrasting black soffits and window frames throughout the building to make those scenes pop. “Black is an unconventional color for healthcare, but we thought it was appropriate here to create a dramatic backdrop,” says Amanda Pirlot, associate vice president of interior design at HGA.
To meet hospital performance requirements without making the aesthetic feel sterile, the project team chose a palette of wood, leatherette furniture, mirrored glass and brass lighting fixtures that support the hospitality atmosphere while adhering to strict cleaning regimes.
Furthermore, Jes Skaug, associate vice president and senior project designer at HGA, says the material palette brings “a textural uniqueness that you don’t normally see in a hospital.”
Adding to the luxurious environment, Crystal Clinic also exhibits work from local artists to create a deeper connection with the community. One of the doctors even donated dozens of his nature photography prints, which are displayed in patient rooms and staff corridors, balanced by abstract displays from other local artists.
These unique details throughout the facility received rave reviews from IIDA judges. “While this year’s submissions were highly impressive, the Crystal Clinic Orthopedic Center stood out as an exceptional example of thoughtful, patient-forward space planning,” Kelley Dorsett, senior vice president and director of interior design at AECOM, said in a release. said on behalf of AECOM. the jury.
The annual IIDA Healthcare Design Awards, which recognize originality and excellence in design and furnishing in healthcare spaces, are judged in specific categories, including ambulatory, hospital and extended care and assisted living facilities.
2022 Category Winners
Outpatient — Cancer Center
Project: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Chestnut Hill, Newton, Mass.
Design firm: Payette, Boston
Outpatient — Pediatric
Project: Seattle Children’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, Seattle
Design firm: NBBJ, Seattle
Outpatient — Specialty Clinic
Project: Bill Richards Center for Healing, Rockville, Md.
Design firm: Gensler, Washington, DC
Project: Institute of Specialized Medicine
& Intervention, Kirkland, Canada
Design Firm: HOK, Toronto
Extended Care and Assisted Living Facilities — Hospice/ Palliative Care
Project: Taikang Community Shen Garden Shenyang, Shenyang City, China
Design Firm: Interscape Design Associates, Shanghai City, China
Hospitals — Community
Project: Crystal Clinic Orthopedic Center, Akron, Ohio
Design Firm: HGA, Milwaukee
Hospitals — Pediatric
Project: Seattle Children’s, Building Care: Diagnostic and Treatment Facility, Seattle
Design firm: ZGF Architects, Seattle
Project: Bill Richards Center for Healing, Rockville, Md.
Design firm: Gensler, Washington, DC
Brooke Bilyj is a freelance writer.
For more information about the 2022 IIDA Healthcare Design Awards program and winners, visit iida.org.
The post Winning Touch appeared first on HCD Magazine.
