The Ryan Ranch Outpatient Campus is an elegant resolution of competing demands and priorities, balancing rational man-made forms with those of the natural world, a sense of responsibility to the community with a respect for financial realities, and operational efficiencies with an appeal to the human spirit. As part of an office/research/light-industrial area, the project had to conform to restrictions on building height and to a mandate that 45% of each parcel be maintained in an undeveloped, natural state. Posing an added challenge, the site has a significant slope and is accessible from only two sides. To conserve open space and ease access for patients, buildings were constructed over one level of below-grade parking.

Reinforcing the identity of the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula was one of the key goals of the project. Thus, the architectural team created modern buildings that achieve a high level of design excellence and give precedence to the patient experience. Taking advantage of the temperate California climate, the buildings’ architecture makes extensive use of glass curtain walls that offer serene views of hillsides dotted with live oaks. Exterior materials such as Western red cedar and weathered steel reflect the rugged nature of the setting. At the same time, the rooflines of the buildings are clearly tied to the landscape and are integral to the campus aesthetic as a whole. Inside, ample daylight and materials and colors drawn from the natural landscape counter a clinical atmosphere.

Project category: New construction (completed July 2004)

Chief administrator: Thomas Glavin, President and CEO, Cypress Medical Network, (831) 658-2203

Firm: Chong Partners Architecture, (415) 433-0120

Design team: Designer/Architect, Chong Partners Architecture; Structural Engineers, Umerani Associates; General Contractor/Construction Manager, Rudolph & Sletten; Mechanical Engineers, Guttmann & Blaevoet; Landscape Architects, Bellinger, Foster, Steinmetz

Photography: © Tim Griffith; © Sharon Risedorph

Total building area (sq. ft.): 125,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $216

Total construction cost (excluding land): $27,000,000