In March 2013, Lourdes Health System opened LourdesCare (Cherry Hill, N.J.), a 55,000-square-foot state-of-the-art ambulatory care center. Lourdes Health System worked with Environetics (Philadelphia), an architecture, interior design, and engineer firm, to convert a vacant supermarket into a facility that would allow the organization to provide more affordable and accessible health services.

Lourdes’ strategy is to provide a greater continuum of care through a multidisciplinary model, with primary care and a range of subspecialties, diagnostic modalities, and “session suites” in a non-institutional setting. This approach is consistent with the evolving medical home model of care. The centerallows for one-stop shopping of Lourdes’ cardiology services and other physician specialists, including cardiac surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, physical medicine rehabilitation specialists, podiatrists, rheumatologists, sports medicine specialists, and vascular surgeons. Other services include cardiac testing, cardiac rehabilitation, heart failure care, lab services, physical therapy, wellness services, and diagnostic imaging.

The facility was designed to evolve with the changes in healthcare delivery as healthcare reform takes shape. The new facility allows for growth and contraction of departments over time via interchangeability of rooms, standardized planning modules, and unifying circulation systems.

One of the major reasons for selecting the property was that the building is located at a high-visibility intersection. This location, while convenient, presented a challenge to the design team because the building sits at a lower elevation than the road, so passersby look down at the building. The Environetics team created a gently arching fin wall designed to bring attention to the main entry, became a brand identity element for Lourdes Health System , and screen the mechanical units on the roof.

The $14 million project was financed and led by Rosewood Real Estate Enterprises (Cherry Hill, N.J.) and completed in 11 months with a design-build approach with services from Environetics, consulting architects Alberto & Associates (Haddonfield, N.J.), and contractors The Norwood Co. (Malvern, Pa.).