Project category: New construction & Remodel/Renovation (completed November 2004)

Chief administrator: Jerry Bernstein, MD, Founding Partner, (919) 872-0250

Firm: Small Kane Architects, PA, (919) 833-1994

Design team: Neal Conley, AIA, Project Architect; Leslie Silverstein, ASID, IIDA, Lead Interior Designer (Small Kane Architects, PA); General Contractor/Builder (Williams Realty & Building Company); MEP Engineering (Bass Nixon & Kennedy Engineers)

Photography: Marc Lamkin

Total building area (sq. ft.): 15,000 (13,000 finished)

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $58

Total construction cost (excluding land): $750,000

The program called for the relocation of a leading pediatric practice into a 15,000-square-foot shell building, to be designed to house exam rooms, physicians’ offices, a lab, a triage area, staff offices, a conference room, and a patient-education classroom.

Given the L shape of the building shell, the interior solution called for the Reception Area and Nurses’ Station to be oriented in a diagonal configuration within a patient circulation loop. Located within the loop at the rear of the check-in area is the check-out desk, which is ADA-accessible and HIPAA-compliant.

Patient entry is through the Atrium, located at the “hinge” of the L, where the curved reception station welcomes visitors. An infant carrier “parking station” located between the check-in windows allows hands-free check-in. Indirect lighting accents colorful hanging banners and oversized children’s “building blocks,” which are arranged to emulate the logo of the practice. Materials such as porcelain ceramic tile, laminate, carpet tile, and clear aluminum allow for easy maintenance and cleaning in a child-friendly environment.

Flanking the core area are patient exam rooms and physicians’ offices, where the walls are finished in a series of “Popsicle” colors, varying in plane to present a whimsical and informal appearance. Star patterns in multiple colors assist in wayfinding for parents and as abstract stepping stones for patients. Tinted glass block on the corridor side of exam room walls introduces “borrowed” light.

The Patient Education Classroom, Staff Lounge, and 30-seat Conference Room are located on the perimeter in the private sector of the building.