Project Data:

Completion Date:     9/20/2021

Square Footage:      35000

Building Use:           MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDING

Design Architect:      Westgroup Designs, Inc

Project Description:

Facing the prominent San Jacinto Mountain range in the desert oasis of Palm Springs, will be a new, 35,000 square foot regional community care center for the County of Riverside’s Riverside University Health System. Serving as a comprehensive outpatient medical facility, the design elevates the delivery of services to the region’s most vulnerable residents. The new healthcare facility will provide services for a predominantly indigent population in addition to being the local clinic for many in the adjacent, residential community. Suited to compete with private health facilities, the innovative program includes an enhanced, transparent, “one-stop-shop” accessible approach to healthcare service delivery, prioritizing patient care.

Situated on a 3.75-acre site, on land formerly owned by the Agua Caliente Indians, the project is an environmentally resilient design, slated for LEED Certification, framed with drought-tolerant landscape; incorporating clean air, electric vehicle and long term bicycle parking. The architecture features a palette of earth-toned plaster, manufactured stone, and glass, and mitigates the hot desert climate with overhangs, brise-soleil, and motorized interior shade control systems, that maximize natural daylighting while minimizing heat gain and glare. Views of the desert landscape are visible from every elevation, connecting the facility to the community beyond.

Focusing on safety and security both on site and within the building, the project’s geometry emphasizes the open and transparent public entries, by enhancing visibility and access, while the neutral material and color palette, evokes the warmth and serenity of the natural desert landscape. 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 a safe, secure, and efficient patient experience. From signage to graphics, bold branding visually welcomes the diverse and inclusive clientele of the community.

With views of the San Jacinto Mountain range, the main entrance is grounded by a centrally-located intake registration desk, to 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 workflow, 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 respects the surrounding environment. The project honors and welcomes a diverse public and the healthcare providers that serve them, with a care environment more commonly seen in private, for-profit, healthcare.


AIA Framework for Design Excellence Categories:
Design for well-being – Critical to the design team was the creation of a welcoming, open, environmentally-sensitive, facility that promotes a level of care and well-being to an underprivileged patient population that often are excluded from such consideration in public facilities.