Oklahoma Heart Hospital is a specialty hospital designed for the care and treatment of cardiovascular disease. WHR worked with physicians to design the hospital with the heart patient in mind. The goal was to create a unity of care not found anywhere else, while integrating the latest in digital technology.

A four-story atrium with a concierge desk presents a welcoming check-in point. A natural color palette provides warmth, incorporating wood and stone into the design scheme.

Designed to bring services to the patient, the second floor includes Imaging, Diagnostics, Laboratory, Pathology, and Pharmacy departments. The location of these departments allows them to share services. Inpatient beds are situated in eight-bed clusters, promoting interaction between patients/family members and staff. This pod design is thought to be a first of its kind in healthcare.

Spacious patient rooms are zoned into staff and family areas and have views to the outside. A specially designed bed converts into a variety of positions, allowing every one of the hospital’s 78 patient rooms to be converted into a critical care room. High-resolution monitors in patient rooms and throughout the hospital give physicians and staff access to information on patients. Every patient room has a chair that folds into a bed and a window seat that doubles as an additional bed. Family can pass the time at the “A la Heart Café” by dining, plugging into the Internet, or making phone calls.

The third floor houses a large clinical practice. The clinic also has 36 private exam rooms and some imaging and diagnostic procedure rooms.

Project category: New construction (completed August 2002)

Chief administrator: Mike Packnett, President & CEO, (405) 608-3200

Firm: Watkins Hamilton Ross Architects, (713) 665-5665

Design team: Barry Bruce, FAIA, FACHA, Principal, Senior Designer; Mitch Wortley, AIA, ACHA, Senior Principal, Senior Project Architect; Bill Ganshirt, AIA, ACHA, Senior Principal, Project Manager; Gail Burns, IIDA, ASID, Principal, Senior Interior Designer; Brian Riley, AIA, ACHA, Construction Administration

Photography: Gary Knight + Associates, Inc.

Total building area (GSF): 230,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $165

Total cost (excluding land): $38,000,000