Project Data:

Completion Date:     10/15/2021

Square Footage:      35000

Building Use:           MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDING / COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER

Project Description:

Minutes away from the Taquitz Canyon, facing the grand San Jacinto mountain range in the heart of Palm Springs, a new, 35,000 square foot regional community care center for Riverside University Health Systems, stands as the predominant, public, comprehensive outpatient medical facility, elevating the delivery of services to the city’s most vulnerable residents, while fostering inclusivity in a diverse demographic.
Situated on a 3.75 acre site, on land formerly owned by the Agua Caliente Indians, the building is a resilient design, slated for LEED Certification, framed with drought-tolerant landscape; incorporating clean air, electric vehicle and long term bicycle parking, as well as 180 degree sweeping views, washing the public areas with daylight, extensive solar control systems and harvested daylight within interior areas.
The architecture features undulating planes of stone and glass, fitted with sunshades, solar louvers and motorized shade control systems, maximizing the value of natural light while minimizing heat gain and glare. Views of the desert landscape are visible from every elevation, connecting the facility to the community beyond with materials and finishes that evoke the warmth of the natural desert landscape.
In addition to being the local clinic for many in the adjacent, dense residential neighborhoods, this building is suited to compete with private health facilities, with an innovative environment; with transparency and access to staff, reimagining the public service experience with a flexible, fully accessible one-stop-shop department planning approach, prioritizing patient care.
The building satisfies two different, separate, primary functions which must appear as one cohesive operation. Many of the services have standard operating hours while others are open 24 hours a day with their own entries. The solution was to bifurcate the space with a concealed roll-down security door, for after-hours control, creating separate access and egress for these two functions. During the workday, this gate is artfully concealed in a feature architectural portal; with continuous finishes, lighting and consistent detail, the transition is seamless.
The floating organically shaped “cloud features” over the patient seating areas were designed with economy and resilience in mind, fabricated of lightweight, environmentally-sustainable foam, with the illusion of authentic wood.
A coordinated wayfinding system, as well as automatic control systems and touchless access points, integrating both controlled and intuitive programs, are designed for easy navigation of public spaces to enhance the safe, secure and efficient patient experience, visually welcoming the diverse community.
The strategically-planned public space circulation, grounded by a centrally-located registration desk, promote clear communication, flexibility and access to various departments and services, while maintaining required patient privacy. Beyond the public spaces, efficient Medical Assistant Station “Pods” control patient and work flow, as service hubs to all departments.
The unique character of this building is expressly created to match its function and reflect the integrity and character of the population it serves, while its design resilience reflects the city's support of environmental stewardship. Through the design, we were compelled to honor and welcome a diverse public, integral to the Palm Springs regional landscape, with critical services.

Firm Name:              Westgroup Designs

Completion Date:     10/15/2021

Square Footage:      35000

Building Use:           MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDING / COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER

Location:                 PALM SPRINGS, CA

Project Description:
Design for Integration:
The overarching design concept of this facility, from its aesthetic homage to the desert surroundings to its innovative delivery of health services, stands as a beacon of hope to those in the community who previously have not had a community health and wellness center providing public health resources such as WIC, HIV/STD testing, substance abuse counseling and behavioral health, in addition to more common services, offering support, resources and referrals for those needing additional care. The outreach factor – the ability of this facility to welcome the public – is evident in it’s transparent two- story entry, its multiple access points for personal service and privacy, it’s seamless accommodation of proprietary and secondary services and its ability to connect the public with staff, through both functional and aesthetic detail.

Design for Equitable Communities:
This Community Health Center leads the transformation of healthcare and inspires wellness through integrated delivery of services, bringing comprehensive, quality services to the largely underserved communities. The facility provides the city's most vulnerable residents with critical outpatient care, while fostering inclusivity in a diverse demographic. The patient-centric environment creates a transparency both physical and procedural, with access to staff and services, reimagining the public service experience with a flexible, fully accessible one-stop-shop department planning approach. Allowing for intuitive wayfinding, and cross-pollination of services, this destination illustrates how design can inspire inclusive community health and wellness.

Design for Energy:
Transforming the 3.75 acre site on land formerly owned by the Agua Caliente Indians, the design team was sensitive to use of natural resources, respecting the surroundings and making the most of progressive system opportunities to save energy and engage the community. The resilient design has just been completed and is pending LEED Certification, reflecting its responsible application of materials and processes. The site features parking for clean air/electric vehicle and long term bicycle parking, and drought-tolerant landscape, while the building features captures daylight with solar control, including vertical sunshades, metal louvers and Solatube illumination to interior spaces.

Design for Well Being:
Well-being goes hand-in-hand with an environment designed for equitable treatment of those it serves. The aesthetic concept is derived from the natural surroundings, and makes the most of spectacular views of the Taquitz mountains with complete transparency into the community lobby patient spaces with two-story high windows and a soft palette of paint tones and strategically placed focal accents and informative branding. Security features are concealed behind wood panels and soffits to allow the gentle forms to welcome patients and staff into waiting and work areas. The expansive and interdepartmental waiting areas allow for 180 degree views of secondary receiving points, with intuitive wayfinding for patient comfort and safety. In the evenings, the flexible space transforms into a community event center, hosting public health forums for the community.

Design Architect:
SHAZAD GHANBARI / KEN ONG

Associate Architect or Firm:

Landscape Architect:
CTA Landscape Architect

Owner / Developer:
The Boureston Companies - Owner/Developer

Engineer:
KNA - Structural Engineers

Fuscoe Engineering - Civil Engineers

OMB Electrical Engineers

ICON Consulting - Mechanical/Plumbing Engineers

General Contractor:
PCG Construction

Consultant:

Photographer:
TERRANCE WILLIAMS, WUNDRSTUDIO