The Dorothy Mangurian Comprehensive Women’s Center at Holy Cross HealthPlex (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) addresses a variety of medical, psychological, and social needs. Designed by Gresham, Smith and Partners, the 55,000-square-foot renovation, completed in three phases, aims to provide a multi-purpose resource for the nearby hospital and the community at large. Completed in February 2013, the women’s center was funded entirely by philanthropy.

Holy Cross contracted GS&P five years ago to develop a master plan for expanding its imaging center into a full women’s center. Phase I, completed in October 2010, included the new Dottie Mangurian Lobby, the Jeane M. Dorini Women’s Imaging and Diagnostic Suite, the Jan Moran Reception Suite, and the Hudson Family Foundation Physician Suites. Phase 2, completed in September 2012, included the Marti Huizenga Meditation Chapel and Healing Garden, a boutique, and renovated entrances. Phase 3, completed in February 2013, was the Patricia R. Guerrieri Pavilion, which features an onsite café, spa, art gallery, and education spaces and includes options for traditional, alternative, and complementary medical care.

In addition to diagnostic imaging services, the expanded women’s center offers rehabilitation, osteoporosis care, and counseling services, as well as a physician office suite hosting a primary care doctor specializing in women’s health and specialists in cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, gynecology, and rheumatology. Patients also have access to the medical spa, with treatment rooms for massage or acupuncture therapy, as well as stations offering traditional spa services. In addition to medical treatment, the art gallery, café, chapel, boutique, and conference and education spaces offer additional resources for patients, staff, community groups, and individual residents. These spaces help to promote Holy Cross’s goal of creating a comfortable space where women can gather not only for medical care, but also for education and social events. 

A big challenge for designers was transforming an outdated two-story medical building into a modern, welcoming, and sophisticated space that could house the center’s diverse array of functions. With that goal in mind, designers modernized the building’s interiors by maximizing natural light and installing new stone, tile, and wood finishes in soft, warm colors. Fabrics and accent walls provide a pop of color in many of the public spaces, while softer, soothing tones characterize exam rooms, spa stations, and other areas primarily for medical treatment.