Project category: New construction (completed April 2005)

Chief administrator: Stan Morton, Chief Executive Officer, (940) 898-7000

Firm: Ascension Group Architects, (817) 226-1917

Design team: Chad Duren, Project Manager; Rod Booze, AIA, Managing Principal, Principal-in-Charge (Ascension Group Architects); General Contractor, Bovis Lend Lease; Jim Stephenson, Structural Engineer (Structural Design Group); John Piazza, PE, Mechanical/Electrical Engineer (Piazza Engineering, Inc.)

Photography: Mark Trew; Jeff Sudman; Reneé Mueller

Total building area (sq. ft.): 308,111

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $180

Total construction cost (excluding land): $55,500,000

Presbyterian Hospital of Denton reached a significant milestone with the groundbreaking of a $100 million hospital and extensive campus development. That developed master plan addresses 560,000 total square feet on 35 acres, including the 308,111-square-foot hospital; 180,000 square feet of renovated specialty use; an 80,000-square-foot medical office building; and a 1.5 million-square-foot site master plan encompassing ten major/minor outbuilding structures.

The new flagship structure (hospital) houses 216 private rooms, a total of nine larger operating rooms (two dedicated to heart surgery and two dedicated to neurology), two cardiac catheterization labs and a peripheral vascular lab, three endoscopy/bronchoscopy suites, 12 PACs, diagnostic modalities, and a 27-position emergency department, including areas for cardiac, obstetrics and gynecology, trauma, special procedures, general observation, and examination.

The hospital has been designed with multiple, decentralized entries, similar to an airport concept with an internal circulation spine, or “mall.” All primary outpatient and emergency services are immediately accessible and adjacent. This approach provides parking, proximity, access, and egress to the individual departments and services most used by outpatients and visitors. The entire site concept has been developed with identification and access of wayfinding as a primary driver.

Essentially, all outpatient and patron access is developed horizontally. For inpatients, the concept is inverted. Vertical access is decentralized to allow proximity and access for inpatients to primary services such as diagnostics and surgery. Both approaches capably respond to the needs of two distinctly different types of care: short-stay outpatient and preventative care, and more acute inpatient treatment.

On the interior, the building’s central spine and common areas are infused with hospitality-type finishes and amenities. A central concierge is provided for wayfinding. A coffee bar is contiguous with the medical mall, as is the patient Internet library. Finishes, light, space, and volume combine to soften the hospital experience and reduce intimidation for patrons.

Aesthetically, the building’s airport vernacular is extended to adjacent parking and site elements, including a constant-level detention pond with fountains and an overlook. The façade is strong and modern, with specific elements presenting an image of consumer confidence for an outstanding cutting-edge hospital and campus.