The design team has worked with Lancaster General Hospital since 1964 to develop and implement its campus master plan. The most recent project was the expansion and renovation of the Emergency Department (ED). The hospital’s existing ED had experienced substantial growth in annual visits, but its location offered limited expansion opportunity. The design team planned a new patient-flow system for maximum efficiency and employed patient-focused and hospitality design strategies to improve the health service experience.

The facility’s expansion provides the base of a four-story building that was shelled for future use. The design team phased the renovation to be constructed while the existing ED remained operational. The new design established two entrances for ambulatory visitors and ambulance drop-offs to increase the department’s throughput capabilities. To create a hospitality-inspired atmosphere, the two-story waiting area has marble floors, wood-grain elements, and natural light.

The patient-focused design strategy includes all private rooms and five specialized treatment areas that streamline patient flow. Each treatment area—acute care, clinical-decision unit, psychiatric unit, trauma/cardiac unit, and fast track—has a designated nursing station, and the fast-track component includes specialized pediatric rooms. The integration of a new radiology services unit makes the treatment process easier for patients, who no longer need to leave the department to receive their tests.

The new design allows the Level II Trauma Center to handle 75,000 visits per year.

Project category: Addition (completed May 2004)

Chief administrator: Marion McGowan, President and COO, (717) 290-5849

Firm: EwingCole, (215) 923-2020

Design team: David L. Bynum, AIA, Principal-in-Charge; Tom Kasner, Designer; Katie Rostovskis, Interior Designer; Don Jones, Project Manager

Photography: © High Construction Company

Total building area (sq. ft.): 60,000 (new); 14,400 (renovation)

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $200 (new); $125 (renovation)

Total construction cost (excluding land): $12,000,000 (new); $1,800,000 (renovation)