Project category: New construction (completed October 2001)

Chief administrator: Kris Wyckoff, Administrator, (775) 770-7220

Firm: James Leary Planning/Douglas Childs Architect, (858) 695-0444

Design team: Simon Warner, AIA, Project Manager; James A. Leary, AIA, ACHA, Planning; Douglas S. Childs, AIA, Design Principal; Mario Perez, AIA, Project Architect; Joseph Mascari, Project Designer

Photography: Frank Domin Photography

Total building area (GSF): 50,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $260

Total cost (excluding land): $13,000,000


Saint Mary’s at Galena is a satellite facility to Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center. Providing outpatient services to a growing community outside Reno, Nevada, this facility includes the main components of a hospital but without a 24-hour stay. The building has been designed to grow as the population in the area increases, ultimately with the ability to add licensed beds, enabling the center to function as a licensed hospital. This facility provides ideal “departmental” relationships, allowing for maximum flexibility and future expansion.

Components of the facility include: three operating rooms with preop and postop areas and four extended recovery beds for 23-hour stays; an Imaging Department, including radiology/fluoroscopy, x-ray, ultrasound, MRI, and CT; an Urgent Care Department comprised of five exam rooms, a casting room, and a minor procedure room; three primary care physician suites with a combined total of 14 exam rooms; a Physical Therapy Department; a Community Education Center; and a lab to support urgent care, physician offices, and surgery.

The center sits at the foot of Mount Rose, with its horizontal massing and strong hip-roof forms emulating the surrounding mountain terrain. The building’s architectural character and aesthetic appearance are inspired by the historic brick and iron architecture so prevalent in Reno. The materials are predominantly brick, textured stucco, glass, and copper. The color palette is a reflection of the surrounding foothills.

The lobby acts as the hub from the public corridor to each service area, providing clear wayfinding. Organized around a central courtyard, the facility is connected to nature and the outdoors, inviting views and natural light. The lobby design evokes an elegant hotel with spacious waiting areas, high ceilings, warm materials, and comfortable furnishings.