Project Data: 

Completion Date:     4/24/2024 

Square Footage:      137229 

Building Use:           Medical Office Building 

Project Description: 

The medical office building consists of approximately 137,229 square feet of new medical office space over four-stories and a five-story parking garage. It is located on a 1.10-acre parcel at the intersection of Main Street and Stewart Drive in Orange, California. The primary goal of the facility was to enhance the women's and family services offered in the community. The facility houses a birthing center, mother and baby assessment center, maternal diabetes and wellness, maternal fetal testing, pelvic health and rehabilitation, perinatal education, OB/GYN clinical offices, certified midwives, comprehensive imaging, conference / education rooms, physical therapy, medical oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, surgery center, urology, pharmacy, urgent care, retail Stork Shop, and a Blue Bowl Superfoods outlet. The space also features a federally qualified health clinic, with OB-GYN and pediatric services for underserved members of the community.

Given the amount of program desired to be in the site, careful consideration had to be made around the siting and scale of the building. The site is very constrained in terms of overall available space, so the team maximized the buildable area on site by utilizing the maximum amount of site possible. Integration of a sub-grade parking lot helped to provide on-site parking without building a tall building that would feel out of scale and out of context to the adjacent properties.

Early on in the project, the owner and design team identified the value in making documented and informed decisions that would memorialize key design decisions and establish the true north for the project. Through a series of ten A3 documents, the team analyzed and documented approaches for building construction which factored in cost, schedule, and future flexibility for the built spaces. Through this system, the entire team collaboratively and succinctly chose by advantage the construction and systems that ultimately were integrated into the final built environment. 

Design for Economy, Design for Well-being 

Design for Economy
Early on in the project, the owner and design team identified the value in making documented and informed decisions that would memorialize key design decisions and establish the true north for the project. Through a series of ten A3 documents, the team analyzed and documented approaches for building construction which factored in cost, schedule, and future flexibility for the built spaces. Through this system, the entire team collaboratively and succinctly chose by advantage the construction and systems that ultimately were integrated into the final built environment. The items that were studied included Building Construction type, exterior material selections, glazing placement and types, resiliency in power backup, etc. Examples of outcomes from this process include employing creative detailing of EIFS at locations where more expensive fiber-cement paneling had originally been proposed. Through reinforcing mesh and articulated jointing, the team was able to achieve an outcome that provided the durability and aesthetic that the client wanted while also driving down the overall cost and streamlining trade work required on site.

Design for Well-Being
This project delivers an exceptional experience for the patients and staff who use the facility. It was important for developer and user team that the facility offer ample access to natural light and views, so the design team helped to create a facility where well-shaded functional glazing was integral to the formal expression of the building. In order to ensure that the most effective glass selection was made, the team ran solar daylight analysis studies to validate how deep into the floorplate daylight was reaching - analyzing multiple different glass types with various transmittance values. The team additionally ran studies that looked at the amount of glare hours to make sure that the most effective solar shading devices were being employed in the building’s design. Through iterations on glass types and solar shading depths, the team was able to deliver a product that minimized glare while also driving natural light deep into the building. Careful selection of ultra-clear glass at the main level of the building paired with deep overhangs of the building above creates a comfortable visible connection of pedestrians to the spaces inside. This strategy was important to provide clear visible connections for wayfinding into entry points along with clear visibility into the retail spaces located at the ground level.

Once in the building, the material selections, signage design, and visual landmarks offer comfort in the calming environment they create. The building wayfinding and signage implementation plan was designed around current and future state flexibility. Each element is built using standardized details and application to create a
manageable piece for long term consistency. This strategy focuses on creating highly visible
landmarks and suite identifiers to minimize confusion and patient stress during their visit. 

Firm Name:              Carissa Nook 

Completion Date:     4/24/2024 

Square Footage:      137229 

Building Use:           Medical Office Building 

Location:                 353 South Main Street, Orange, CA 92868 

Design Architect: 

Boulder Associates 

Associate Architect or Firm: 

Landscape Architect: 

Ridge Landscape Architects 

Owner / Developer: 

Pacific Medical Buildings 

Engineer: 

Civil - Kimley Horn & Associates
Structural - Miyamoto International
MEP - tk1sc
 

General Contractor: 

Snyder Langston 

Consultant: 

Signage - WeidnerCA
Parking - International Parking Design 

Photographer: 

Caleb Tkach