Project category: New construction & Remodel/Renovation (completed June 2006)

Chief administrator: Charles “Bud” Truax, Executive Director, Facilities Construction, (330) 375-3904

Firm: Hasenstab Architects, Inc., (330) 434-4464

Design team: Mark Ohlinger, AIA, Principal-in-Charge; Amador Gonzalez, AIA, Principal Architect; Eric Droll, AIA, Architect; Nic Olechnowicz, AIA, NCARB, Architect; Chris Betts, Intern; Heather Yellen, Intern

Photography: Scott Pease, Pease Photography

Total building area (sq. ft.): 119,610 (new); 21,000 (renovation)

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $246 (new); $247 (renovation)

Total construction cost (excluding land): $29,410,000 (new); $5,190,000 (renovation)


Architectural and engineering services were provided by Hasenstab Architects, Inc., for renovations and a Critical Care Pavilion addition at Summa Health System’s Akron City Hospital.

The two-story lobby—the new entrance to the hospital—welcomes patients and visitors with open seating areas, a grand piano, and a five-star restaurant. The design of the addition remedies the traditional institutionalized look with a soft, soothing color palette and contemporary décor.

The Critical Care Pavilion includes 26 beds for the critical care unit and angioplasty patients and 52 ICU beds. Renovations include 16 surgical cardiovascular ICU beds. The strategically located nurses’ stations were designed to provide hospital staff with unobstructed views of patient rooms.

Patients needing similar care are kept in proximity to one another, streamlining patient flow, enhancing patient care, increasing ease of navigation, and reducing demands on professional staff.

Full-size cardboard mock-up rooms were built to help hospital administrators and staff visualize room layouts. The medical staff was encouraged to provide suggestions to aid the design team in creating a working environment that was both functional and comfortable.

Private patient rooms were designed to be large enough for staff to work comfortably and to accommodate patients’ visitors. Medical equipment and utilities were built directly into the wall for easier access and a cleaner look.

Project goals and solutions reinforce Summa Health System’s status as one of America’s best hospitals—as named in U.S. News & World Report—and the hospital’s vision for future growth in Northeast Ohio.