Healthcare Design - August 2023 - 42

AWARD OF MERIT
WARM WELCOME
Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center offers an efficient,
hospitality-inspired design that establishes the facility
as a national destination for orthopedic care By Jennifer
Kovacs Silvis
CRYSTAL CLINIC ORTHOPAEDIC Center (CCOC) in Akron, Ohio, set out to
create a hospitality-driven destination for orthopedic, musculoskeletal,
and reconstructive care. Guiding the way was a design mission to create
an " oasis of calm " that reimagines the hospital environment through both
hotel-like experiences and aesthetics. The 165,000-square-foot project,
submitted to the Design Showcase by HGA (Milwaukee), leverages numerous
connections to nature to blur the lines between inside and out while
integrating a materials and finish palette that delivers luxury while still
meeting rigorous inpatient design standards. Completed in November
2021, CCOC not only ups the ante on experience but does so within a highly
efficient layout that reduced travel nurse time by 13 percent. Here, lead
designers from HGA Jes Skaug, associate vice president and senior project
designer, and Paul Widlarz, vice president and principal, share insight on
some of the project's defining features.
Healthcare Design: The design of Crystal Clinic was driven by the
goal of creating an " oasis of calm. " What did that phrase mean for the
project team, and how did it shape the initial design?
Paul Widlarz: This was CCOC's first freestanding hospital project, and
one of the primary goals was to create a place, an oasis, where CCOC's exceptional
reputation for advanced clinical care would be provided in a
setting that felt more like hospitality than hospital. With an emphasis on
creating a superior patient experience, CCOC was designed intentionally
to instill a sense of calm for patients and their families.
From the moment a patient enters the site, care was taken to ensure their
journey was intuitive and stress free. Wayfinding, supported by clear and
thoughtful signage, ample parking close to the main entry, and a welcoming
drop-off canopy, makes arrival and entry effortless. Inside, to create a
sense of calm, the design uses a palette that's soft and quiet, with a focus on
soothing neutrals in lieu of busy patterns and graphics. Together, the site,
42
AU GUST 2023
HCDMAGAZINE.COM
The exterior design
of the Crystal Clinic
Orthopaedic Center
adheres to deed
restrictions of its
surrounding business
park while creating
its own unique
branding thanks to
expansive use of
curtain wall at the
base and a masonry
façade above with
lots visual texture.
building presentation, interior amenities, worldclass
medicine, and caregiving coalesce in an oasis
of calm for outstanding surgical outcomes and
patient experiences.
One challenge to design was the surrounding
business park's deed restrictions. How
were you able to design within those parameters
and still create a unique and branded
experience?
Jes Skaug: The business park's deed restrictions
stated that any new building was required
to be configured of rectangular shapes (no curved
forms) and had to be clad in " earth-tone masonry "
consistent with other buildings in the park.
CCOC employed a modern brick blend of warm,
soft grays that were brighter and stood out from
the predominantly red-toned neighboring buildings.
The blend also used a combination of both
smooth and textured bricks to create a skin that
was dynamic in the way it reflected daylight.
Other buildings in the park are also homogenous
in their lack of transparency and openness,
fortified with small, punched openings or ribbon
windows with heavily tinted glass, with little to
no window depth. In contrast, CCOC created
a very porous façade where glass and masonry
appear to be equal in percentage. Dramatic and
deeply inset chamfered windows and the use
of clear glass allows visibility into the building
from outside, making the building more inviting
and less intimidating.
How did the program itself-and the desire
to become a national destination for care-
inspire the hospitality-focused design?
Widlarz: The services CCOC provides are elective,
so the group knew that differentiating itself
in the market was the best way to attract patients
KENDALL MCCAUGHERTY © HALL+MERRICK+ MCCAUGHERTY PHOTOGRAPHERS
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