Within our 40-year history, BRP has worked on multiple healthcare projects. These have ranged from medical office buildings to technical diagnostic centers, from ambulatory surgery centers to various types of clinics. Our experience with healthcare spans back to our firm’s beginnings, with the National Avenue Medical Building, to today, with our work on the Cox College renovation and expansion.
It all started in 1980, with the National Avenue Medical Building, a 40,000 sq. ft. building owned by a partnership of doctors. A second 40,000 sq. ft. phase had just been built, and they were looking for a firm who could do infills of the office suites. “We were local and available, so we began doing the interiors,” says Geoffrey Butler, BRP Architect and Founding Partner. A 40,000 sq. ft. third phase followed, and BRP was hired again to design a Radiation Treatment Center which included a linear accelerator for the treatment of cancer.
Several healthcare projects followed soon after including the Fremont Medical Building, which was initially planned as a two-phase project totaling 80,000 sq. ft. At that time, many local physicians were in various locations around town. The Fremont Medical Building project included an underground tunnel to the hospital, making it easier for physicians to get to the hospital. Demand for clinic space quickly necessitated a third phase be added to the Fremont Building, and a 40,000 sq. ft. addition was built and occupied.
BRP’s next large-scale healthcare project came in the form of a twin tower to the Cox Medical Plaza, as well as a parking garage, located at Cox South Medical Center. “Alan Bates and I formed a joint venture of Butler, Rosenbury & Partners and Warren C. Bates & Associates specifically for that interview process. We interviewed for the work as Butler/Bates against large regional medical specialty firms and other local firms,” explains Geoffrey. The joint venture was awarded the project, and Cox Medical Plaza II was designed and built.
Working with Cox administration, BRP provided master planning services for the Cox Walnut Lawn campus located north of Cox Medical Center South Hospital. Cox combined two smaller fitness centers into one larger, comprehensive center which would also be integrated with rehabilitation services. The resulting Meyer Center for Wellness and Rehabilitation occupies a prominent spot on the Walnut Lawn campus.
The 90,000 sq. ft. facility includes a six-lane lap pool, therapy pool, gymnasium, racquetball courts, cardio and strength training areas and a 1/9th mile track. Other amenities include a deli, children’s gym and locker rooms with whirlpool spas, steam rooms and saunas.
The Martin Center followed soon after. “As Cox examined their operations and congestion in the hospital itself, they elected to move their diagnostic imaging out of the hospital to a freestanding building east of the campus,” says Geoffrey. They acquired a vacant two-story office building. BRP adaptively reused the building and expanded it to become the four-story Martin Center for Diagnostic Imaging which included Magnetic Resonance Imaging suites, x-ray imaging and endoscopy suites.
“It is important for our healthcare clients to know that the firm that worked on their project thirty years ago is still capable of helping them adapt that asset for the newest challenge they face,” says Geoffrey.
One of those new challenges comes in the form of educating more nurses. Many nursing schools are having more applicants than ever, however, their facilities can’t meet capacity to host larger class sizes. To address the nursing shortage, Cox College hired BRP to design the renovation and expansion of the school.
All five floors of an existing dormitory will be renovated. Administration and student services will be housed on the first floor, faculty offices on the third and study and activity spaces, group learning rooms as well as larger classrooms will be distributed throughout the other floors. New student lounge areas and conference rooms are located on each level to encourage collaboration. This arrangement will increase student-professor interactions while creating informal gathering spaces throughout the building. These changes will allow for an addition of 150 students each year into the nursing program.
“Over the years, we developed lasting relationships with CoxHealth. We like to feel that we became a valuable resource for them as they navigated the ever-changing healthcare world. They know they can call on us and we will be able to meet their needs,” adds Geoffrey.
Also in the November Newsletter: What’s New for 2019: Upcoming Architectural Trends BRP Gives Thanks