This new building replaces the current rehabilitation hospital, consolidating all of the current programs on campus in one location and bringing the program up to date with all current state regulatory guidelines. The building was designed to meet inpatient (institutional) occupancy.

The ground floor contains outpatient physical and occupational therapies, building lobby, chapel, administrative and support offices for rehab and occupational medicine, space for a future patient/family research center, and mechanical and electrical equipment rooms. The rehabilitation program is a joint venture with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and planning for the project included members of both institutions.

Levels two and three contain 25 inpatient rehab beds on each level, with 12 beds in semiprivate occupancy and 13 in private occupancy. Each room contains a handicapped-accessible toilet/shower room, an additional hand-washing sink, a nurse call system, a television, a handicapped-accessible wardrobe, and a conduit for future computer charting stations. Additional spaces include exam/treatment rooms; a combined patient activity and dining room; family rooms for interaction among medical staff, patients, and their families; and staff support areas.

The exterior design of the new building establishes a major new presence on the medical center campus. Directly across the street from the main campus, it uses a compatible red brick with a simple canopy, reflecting the materials and design aesthetic of the main campus.

The interior design of the building reflects the cultures of the two institutions. The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s signature design style is colorful and contemporary, suggesting movement and life through the use of nature, color, and patterns to help inspire and energize patients. Alexian Brothers’ design style attempts to humanize the often cold, clinical hospital with a warm, more residential feeling. Our design goal takes elements of both cultures and molds them into a cohesive new design sympathetic to both institutions’ ideas.

Patient rooms reflect a softer image than the more active rehabilitation areas but still use color and materials to suggest an energetic feeling. Flooring is simulated-wood vinyl in a natural cherry tone. Cherry-tone wood was also used for chair rails, custom wardrobe units, and furniture. Soft, ivory-colored paint and leaf-patterned vinyl wallcovering complete the space. Drapery material for the rooms is a contemporary print in vibrant jewel tones. Beside each patient bed is a wall-mounted reading light. Each room is outfitted with a patient chair or recliner. Public spaces use the same color and materials as the rehabilitation outpatient areas. Visual cues cut into the VCT flooring assist patients in measuring their progress as they move from shape to shape during their therapy sessions.

Project category: Addition (completed February 2004)

Chief administrator: Roger Johnson, President, (847) 437-5500

Firm: Proteus Group, (312) 337-7800

Design team: Timothy M. Gregg, AIA, ACHA, Principal; Susan Limbrunner, Project Architect, Project Manager; Alan W. Mack, Principal, Interior Design; Raymond Collins, PE, Principal, Mechanical Engineering; Andrew McVey, Principal, Engineering

Photography: ©2004 Anthony May

Total building area (sq. ft.): 60,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $155

Total cost (excluding land): $9,300,000