Healthcare Design - August 2020 - 34

At the same time, construction of the hotel was driven by a need for more
beds, as The Villages attracts people near and far for its myriad entertainment and sports events, from golf tournaments to polo matches to concerts, as well as conferences. "It's become a destination city," says Burnette.
The idea behind uniting the new healthcare facility and hotel was
spurred by many anticipated benefits. During the day, loved ones accompanying patients could enjoy the hotel amenities while waiting. Physician
groups could use the hotel's conference and meeting space. Patients undergoing outpatient surgery could use the hotel as a convenient option the
night before an early-morning surgery or a more comfortable place to convalesce afterward that allows easy access for a post-op appointment the
next morning. Medical tourism, from hip and knee procedures on an ambulatory basis to plastic surgery packages, was also a consideration. " With
the need for the CAHB and a hotel in the Brownwood area, it only made
sense to combine them," Morse says.

ABOVE: Landscaped

gardens outside the
CAHB were leveraged
as a calming exterior
view from the reception
and waiting area of a
cancer specialist tenant
space on the first floor.
Glass panels at the
reception desk include
natural silhouettes pulled
from nature around a
pond that can be seen
from the window. BELOW:
Rounded, futuristic-styled
partitions provide privacy in a lab tenant space
conveniently located near
the south entrance on the
first floor.

MAKING THE CONNECTION

AUGUST 2020

SITE SPECIFICS

The project team spent months working on the
master plan and site design to make the most effective use of the valuable acreage on the greenfield site. Among the goals were leveraging the
land to carefully locate both buildings so they
had a highly visible presence, whether patients
were approaching from north, south, east, or
west, and offering a convenient surface parking
solution, Burnette says. "It was also a matter of
rightsizing both building programs and getting
the right mix vertically," he adds. For example,
the CAHB was originally planned for five stories,

The two facilities are brought together on a shared 32-acre campus. Located on the west side, the four-story CAHB offers diagnostic imaging,
radiation oncology, and outpatient labs along with several retail offerings
including an audiology center, health and technology education center,
pharmacy, and coffee shop on the first floor; an outpatient surgery center
and dermatology practice on the second floor;
and 13 specialist offices with diagnostic and procedural suites for urology, cardiology, and neurology on the third and fourth floors.
A shared open-air central courtyard with
covered walkways on the first floor leads to the
seven-story hotel and spa, which includes the
conference space and a restaurant. "All of the
patients and their family members have ease
of access to food and the spa and other services
in the hotel, " says Burnette. "If you're bringing your loved one or spouse and it's going to be
a four- to six-hour procedure, it gives you some
positive distractions while that procedure is
taking place."
However, the main connector between the
two facilities is an internal one, with a private,
connected corridor leading from the secondfloor ambulatory surgery center to a dedicated
30-room hotel floor. Located near surgery discharge, the restricted corridor with an eleva-

tor offers patients and their family members
a discrete connection to their pre-arranged
hotel room. Concierge services include prior
arranged luggage assistance, registration, and
room keys, while the dedicated floor features
design elements like wider doors for wheelchair access and built-in shower seats to better
accommodate these patient guests.

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Healthcare Design - August 2020

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