Fort Irwin Replacement Hospital Wins National Design Award

The RLF-designed Weed Army Community Hospital at Fort Irwin, California, has earned the Honor Award for Conceptual Design from the 2012 Chief of Engineers Awards of Excellence Program.

The program recognizes some of the most innovative projects accomplished by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers teammates, and the private sector design and construction community around the world. In addition to design, the award program emphasizes innovation and leadership in environment, energy, and sustainability. 

The recognition demonstrates excellence in design, community engagement, employee involvement, and innovation. The project was among one of six awarded in the design category of the national competition. 

Located deep within the Mojave Desert, the 215,000-square-foot acute care hospital combines modern healthcare tenets, including evidence-based principles and practices, along with regenerative healing elements and a restorative building aesthetic to create a “medical oasis” for the Fort Irwin community. (See "A Solar-Powered Oasis" in the August issue of HEALTHCARE DESIGN). 

Jurors took special note of the project’s emphasis on sustainability, commenting “by aiming for net-zero energy use, a noteworthy, if not remarkable achievement on any project—let alone a hospital—this project seeks to break the past stereotypes in medical design of reliance on energy and natural resources.”

The facility stands to become the nation’s first net-zero, carbon-neutral hospital generating all of its energy needs from solar power and renewable energy systems. In addition, the project is expected to receive Platinum status under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED BD+C rating system. 

The project was also recognized for the project team’s ability to work collaboratively and efficiently to expedite the feedback process. Combined with the use of building information modeling software platforms, this approach enabled the team to complete design on an accelerated timeline of less than 18 months, about 40% of the time a project of this nature typically takes. 

By incorporating the best practices of premier health facilities throughout the country, implementing targeted sustainability measures to reach significant milestones for healthcare design, and working collaboratively among military healthcare professionals in a tight, streamlined approach, the design of the Weed Army Community Hospital stands as a substantial accomplishment for military healthcare.