Project category: New construction (completed December 2005)

Chief administrator: Jonathan Goble, President and CEO, (317) 962-2525

Firm: HKS, Inc., (214) 969-5599

Design team: Craig Beale, FAIA, FACHA, RIBA, CHE, CHC, Principal-in-Charge; Norman Morgan, AIA, Design Principal (HKS, Inc.); Richard Couturier, Project Manager (Jacobs Facilities, Inc.); Steve Allemeier, Construction Manager (Pepper Construction); Ana Maregatti, Interior Designer (Maregatti Interiors); Chuck McDaniel, Landscape Architect (SWA Group)

Photography: Ed LaCasse; Jeff Miles, Hedrich Blessing

Total building area (sq. ft.): 627,100

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $222

Total construction cost (excluding land): $139,218,500

Quality care and a healing environment do not begin as you enter the front door of Clarian North Medical Center in urban Carmel, Indiana. These elements start at the outer perimeter and continue throughout the sprawling 70-acre healthcare campus.

Decorative lakes adorn the premises. Lakeside overlooks and pathways envelope patients, staff, and their families in a tranquil, peaceful environment a world away from stress and anxiety.

Comfort, convenience, and connectivity are central focuses of the design. Patients coming to the hospital for procedures in the specialty surgery center or physician office building enter through a separate entrance with conveniently located parking.

Inside, the five-story glass, skylit atrium is designed as an open and inviting crossroads at the heart of Clarian North’s campus. Dining is centrally located, making it accessible for everyone. A rooftop garden, complete with a rose garden, is offered atop the women’s center. A patio provides a refuge of beauty and serenity.

In an entirely new universal-room delivery model, patient rooms are designed with vinyl wood flooring, shades and draperies, homelike comforters and sheets, and spaces for family stays. Retreats with large, comfortable on-call rooms are designated specifically for staff use.

The complementary exterior of the building hosts a curved brick façade with undulating bands of tonal brick and accents of stone, to help break down the proportions of the large-scale institution. In addition, a human scale is created by using native Indiana limestone, which provides a rich textural base for the campus.