Serving patients and physicians alike, Clarian North Medical Office Building rests in the heart of Carmel, Indiana. Responding to the increasing demand for superior healthcare, this facility is a champion for emerging nationwide trends. Synthesis Incorporated, an Indianapolis-based firm, teamed with Indiana University Medical Group (IUMG), Clarian Health, administrators, physicians, and clinicians to design a facility that fulfilled the project vision consistent with a collaborative and cost-conscious approach. The project scope included Synthesis Incorporated’s design solutions for three separate specialty suites.

A unique triad of clients—IUMG, Clarian Health Coordinated Breast Care Services, and Methodist Cardiology Physicians—presented many opportunities to design facilities around 21st-century patient-care standards, emerging technology, and aesthetic appeal. One challenge was to design right-sized facilities built to house diverse specialties including Neurosurgery, Cardiology, Urology, and ENT.

Project category: New construction (completed January 2006)

Chief administrator: Marissa G. Kiefer, Director of Ambulatory Operations, (317) 278-3500

Firm: Synthesis Incorporated, (317) 951-9500

Design team: Jenelle L. Smagala, President, Principal-in-Charge; Brian Mader, Project Manager, Project Architect; Kari Thompson, Graduate Architect (Synthesis Incorporated); William R. Stella, Principal, Project Engineer (Circle Design Group, Inc.)

Photography: ©2007 Susan Fleck Photography

Total building area (sq. ft.): 13,338

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $54

Total construction cost (excluding land): $717,328

Project goals of each suite included providing a patient-friendly experience with maximum staff and physician flexibility, all made possible through efficient design. Patients are enveloped in a structured, yet relaxed ambience at the check-in area, followed by one-on-one clinical services provided with the utmost professionalism. Each suite was designed in anticipation of evolving technologic equipment needs including, but not limited to, a mobile C-arm system, cardiac testing equipment, an anesthesia pain clinic, and a specialty sound booth.

Overall, the suites designed for the IUMG, Coordinated Breast Care Services, and Methodist Cardiology Physicians embody the spirit of the inhabitants that they serve.