Project category: New construction (completed November 2004)

Chief administrator: Eric Deaton, Chief Executive Officer, (843) 784-8182

Firm: Gould Turner Group, PC, (615) 297-3122

Design team: Michael A. Jones, AIA, Principal-in-Charge; Leonard W. Simms, RA, Project Manager (Gould Turner Group, PC); Thomas S. Tarpy, Jr., PhD, Principal, Structural Engineering (Stanley D. Lindsey and Associates, Ltd.); Jeff Heinze, ASLA, Principal, Civil Engineering, Landscape Architecture (Littlejohn Engineering Associates, Inc.); E. Spivey Lipsey, PE, Principal, MEP Engineering (Nash Lipsey Burch, LLC)

Photography: © Rion Rizzo, Creative Sources Photography

Total building area (sq. ft.): 85,500

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $182

Total construction cost (excluding land): $15,540,000


The exterior design of this acute care replacement facility harmonizes with the local South Carolina milieu, utilizing stucco, exterior sloped metal roofs, clerestory glass, and warm, soothing colors. The massing of the building form lifts the lines of the single-story elevation, expressing its importance as a landmark while respecting the community’s fabric and scale.

A tower structure recalls the light-houses that dot the South Carolina coast, representing a beacon of light and hope for health and healing throughout the community. Clerestory windows flood interior spaces throughout the facility with natural light, and internal lighting creates a soft glow during nighttime hours.

Convenient patient access is provided to critical and urgent service, incorporating multiuse areas for walk-in programs. Walk-in emergency care is organized to provide fast-track services so the patient may receive accelerated treatment, and it is located adjacent to urgent emergency areas for acute care.

Spaces are configured to flow naturally between related functional and support areas. Critical care areas are supported by adjacent spaces, such as the location of emergency trauma near medical imaging and surgery areas. Similarly, the walk-in surgery suite, procedure rooms, operating rooms, and recovery rooms support one another. Convenience is evident, as patients can walk in the front door and quickly access diagnostic services, have tests performed, or participate in rehab therapies.

The building is designed using a suite concept, with suites positioned along a public spine that originates in the main central lobby. Patient transport and delivery of service supplies occur along secondary pathways, separate from public traffic. Each major medical service suite is located along the public spine.