In 2010, the Grossman Medical Group (West Hills, Calif.) enlisted design firm Jamie Bush & Co. (Los Angeles) to help redesign its new corporate offices and an adjacent surgery center already under construction. Dr. Peter Grossman, CEO, and his immediate support staff envisioned a center that would be luxurious yet comforting to put patients and their families at ease during a difficult time.

For the redesign, the team was challenged to work within the very restrictive Title 24 code compliance while also achieving a dramatic lighting program. The new lighting scheme needed to accommodate the fact that more than half of the spaces have no access to natural daylight. Because overhead fluorescent lighting tends to flatten surfaces and give a very even texture, the designers supplemented the look with hidden light sources to wash over walls, strategic halogen spots for bright highlight on artwork, and some table lamps for warmth and supplemental lower lighting. This lighting balance helps to visually define the materials, furnishings, and artwork and layer the space to create depth.

The material palette uses a combination of both natural and natural-looking manmade surfaces, which allowed the team to visually layer the various spaces. Every vertical surface (walls, doors, paneling, cabinetry, etc.) was designed to have a visual texture, to which layers of contrasting artwork, textured upholstery, and detailed accessories were added. The facility opened in winter 2011.