Healthcare Oasis

Project Summary

Client: Eisenhower Medical Center

Architect: Boulder Associates, Inc. (Curtis Chong, James Lenhart, Juan Ramos, Jessica Claflin, Darci Hernandez)

Interior Architecture: Jain Malkin Inc. (Denise Burkett, Jain Malkin, Jamie van Meurs, Casscia Murray, Kelly Kreuzinger, Christie Mayer)

Lighting Design: Jain Malkin Inc.

Landscape Architect: RGA Landscape Architects, Inc.

MEP Engineering: JBA Consulting Engineers, Inc.

Construction: WDL Construction

Photography: Ed LaCasse Photography

Total Building Area (sq. ft.): 96,000

Cost/Sq. Ft.: $560

Total Project Cost: $54 million

Since the heyday of Frank Lloyd Wright, architects have received kudos for blending their creations with their natural surroundings. Wright's Prairie Style was all about designing structures that seemed to emerge organically from their environment. And, in that sense, Wright has been done proud by the Eisenhower George and Julia Argyros Health Center.

The ambulatory care center recently opened by the Eisenhower Medical Center in La Quinta, California, evokes the surrounding desert and mountain ranges-both outside and inside. The intent was to give Coachella Valley residents living 20 miles east of Palm Springs a primary care clinic where they would feel at home and comfortable within the surroundings of their hauntingly beautiful neighborhood. Recently HEALTHCARE DESIGN Contributing Editor Richard L. Peck asked key participants in the Argyros Center design process-Ali Tourkaman, vice president for support and construction services at Eisenhower; Juan Ramos, project manager with Boulder Associates; and Denise Burkett, project manager and team design leader with Jain Malkin Inc. (Interior Architecture), to discuss the concepts and collaboration behind a facility offering comprehensive primary care services to this fast-growing community.