Project category: Project in progress (September 2004)

Chief administrator: Doug Cropper, Chief Executive Officer, (703) 698-1110

Firm: Wilmot Sanz, Inc., (301) 590-2900

Design team: Jim Wilmot, AIA, Principal-in-Charge; Dwight Fincher, AIA, Archtitectural Designer; Michael Bergeron, AIA, Project Manager; Su Kim, Interior Designer, NCIDQ Certified

Total building area (sq. ft.): 320,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $238

Total cost (excluding land): $76,200,000


Opening in 2004, the new Inova Heart Institute will expand Inova Heart Center’s mission in education, research, and treatment programs and will feature cutting-edge design and advanced technology. It will be metropolitan Washington, D.C.’s first and only facility solely dedicated to the causes and treatment of cardiovascular disease. It features a new 156-bed tower on the hospital’s campus, with 48 beds committed to cardiac ICU patients and 108 beds reserved for cardiac telemetry patients. All of the patient rooms will be designed as “universal” rooms, with 85% being private rooms. Also included are six cardiovascular operating rooms, three EP labs, eight catheterization labs, a 38-cubicle short-stay unit, and 190 spaces of structured parking under the hospital, along with a 1,000-car garage adjacent to the hospital.

The new institute’s diagnostic and treatment areas—including heart and lung transplantation, catheterization and electrophysiology labs, surgical suites, rehabilitation centers, and an education center with telemedicine capabilities—will be centrally located to provide a synergy of staff and services. Enhanced research capabilities will position the facility as a site for major national studies and as a center where healthcare professionals throughout the region can participate in research and training programs.

The architectural goals are to create and articulate spaces that facilitate the delivery of state-of-the-art care, provide orientation and direction, and promote healing by reducing user stress. Architectural design concepts consistent with the tenets of patient-focused design and healing environments are incorporated throughout the institute.