Penn Medicine Cherry Hill
©Jeffrey Totaro 2016
Looking to achieve an aesthetic that aligns with Penn Medicine’s presence in the healthcare community, Stantec was inspired to be bold. A long vacant retail site was repositioned as the new Penn Medicine Cherry Hill campus with an outpatient center and new garage.
©Jeffrey Totaro 2016
Stantec’s design transformed a two-story windowless big-box retail space into an airy, light-filled facility. Large colored masses articulate the façade facing Route 70 and are split by a metal panel wall to reveal the main entry. By giving the exterior a vibrant and energetic design, it became a beacon along the congested highway.
©Jeffrey Totaro 2016
The sky lit entry creates a central arrival point for patients and serves as wayfinding throughout the visit. Reigning in the oversized floor plate, a monumental wall with subtle patterns of deconstructed wheat-field bisect the footprint and create a two-story lobby reminiscent of main street.
©Jeffrey Totaro 2016
The structure is exposed along circulation paths taking advantage of the added height and defining a variety of amenities, seating pods, and waiting spaces throughout the lobby.
©Jeffrey Totaro 2016
Promoting flexibility within the Infusion Area, patients can choose treatment spaces that reflect daily preferences including rooms with more privacy, semi-private bays or completely open bays with curtains.
©Jeffrey Totaro 2016
In addition to semi-private open bays and private rooms, the Infusion Area incorporates an open community zone which serves as a “family room” with relaxed residential furniture for patients or families.
©Jeffrey Totaro 2016
The Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy space was designed to accommodate all rehabilitation needs including a therapy pool.
©Jeffrey Totaro 2016
Existing steel columns and structure are exposed in the lobby and are contrasted by a warm color pallet representing a modern take of nature into healthcare to enhance the patient experience.
©Jeffrey Totaro 2016
Centralized registration streamlines and unifies the patient experience, regardless of service line including exam based practices, Infusion, Lab, Radiology, and Radiation Oncology.
©Jeffrey Totaro 2016
Wayfinding is reinforced at each waiting area and subsequent treatment space through guided respites and color schemes.
©Jeffrey Totaro 2016
To maximize the built real estate usage, the majority of the practices within the building utilize a shared services model. Exam pods, including staff work zones, created a common model with slight variations for specific departments. A universal exam room design is utilized to support over 20 practices in a collaborative environment, creating better coordination between primary care, specialty care, and diagnostic services.
©Jeffrey Totaro 2016
Stantec’s design vision including use of color, light and transparency sets the stage for a positive visitor experience, as well as helping to unite staff from multiple practices and departments under one roof.
Submitted by: Stantec Architecture Inc. (Philadelphia)
Stantec Architecture Inc’s design helped Penn Medicine (Cherry Hill, N.J.) unite and expand medical services in New Jersey as well as breath new life into a vacant building.
Transforming the two-story windowless big-box retail building into an airy, light-filled ambulatory healthcare facility required an opening of the walls and roof to allow for natural light. The building transformation also included a new façade, roof, new on-site garage, and utilities, including air handlers, water, fire, gas, and electrical services. The new vibrant and energetic exterior of large, colorful masses split by a metal wall creates a remarkable entry and serves as a beacon along the congested highway.
This wall continues inside the building as the focal element of the two-story, sky-lit lobby. Subtle patterns of deconstructed wheat-field articulate the triangulated metal panels continuing the exterior geometry. Within the space, the monumental wall bisects the footprint and creates a naturally lit, two-story lobby reminiscent of a main street creating a central arrival point for patients and serving as wayfinding throughout the visit. Existing steel columns and structure are exposed in the lobby and are contrasted by a warm color palette representing a modern take on nature into healthcare to enhance the patient experience.
Within the building, the planning process starts by mapping the idealized model of care including patient and staff flow. Building off the desired clinical planning model, workshops envision future state flow for elements such as check-in, waiting areas, services, and check-out. This rejuvenated space features centralized registration with multiple waiting options which streamlines and unifies the patient experience, regardless of service line including exam-based practices, infusion, lab, radiology, radiation oncology, physical therapy, and retail pharmacy. The second floor incorporates a flexible layout with universal exam rooms to support more than 20 practices, creating better collaboration, communication, and coordination between primary and specialty care.
We gave special consideration to the oncology patients who—based on our research, patient experience, and case-studies—prefer a range of treatment space types depending on how they feel each day. In addition to semi-private open bays and private rooms, the infusion area incorporated an open community zone which serves as a “family room” with relaxed residential furniture for patients or families.
Through the design process, Stantec maintains a focus on the comfort and health of the patient, staff, and visitors—design with community in mind.
Project category: Conversion
Chief administrator: Tracey Commack, associate executive director, Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System
Firm: Stantec Architecture Inc., www.stantec.com
Design team: John Patten, principal-in-charge; Scott Huff, project manager; Matt Eastman, architectural designer; Jennie Hydro, planner and interior designer; Mila Beaver, electrical engineer; Steve Spellman, mechanical engineer
Total building area (sq. ft.): 155,000
Completed: November 2016
