Our work with Asante Health System on the Rogue Valley Medical Center (RVMC) began with a property assessment and master facilities plan for the hospital and has continued with the implementation of Phase One of the master plan.

RVMC was a 200-bed hospital, with planned expansion to approximately 260 beds in Phase One. This first phase adds 250,000 square feet of new construction to the facility, as well as 38,000 square feet of renovation. The new five-story bed tower replaces substandard inpatient wings, provides a prominent element to enhance the hospital’s identity, and is designed to maximize flexibility and efficiency for patients, staff, and material flow.

The addition on the north side of the building creates a new main entry and identity for the hospital, accentuated with a sensory healing garden and landscaped plaza, as well as a covered drop-off and entry. The existing central circulation spine of the hospital is extended in the new addition. This extension incorporates a new main lobby with seating areas and an opening to the dining room below. Clear wayfinding is achieved by organizing new departmental waiting areas along this “Main Street.”

The design of RVMC creates peaceful spaces and a feeling of well-being for visitors, patients, and staff. The new five-story bed tower functions as the “brain,” maximizing flexibility and efficiency with essential facilities to provide patients with state-of-the-art services in their own community. Departments in Phase One include emergency, surgery, ICU, diagnostic imaging, dietary services, pharmacy, a new 627-stall parking structure, and a helipad. Construction was phased to allow continuous operation of all hospital departments and to minimize disruption.

With the sound of water spilling down a rocky channel to a large pond, the smell of a fragrant garden, and views of the coastal range and sunsets to the west, RVMC surrounds the senses with comfort. The three-acre healing garden has gentle gradient pathways divided by hedges and native plants to create outdoor rooms, while the beautifully landscaped plaza leads staff and visitors into the heart of the hospital.

Project category: New construction & Remodel/Renovation (completed July 2005)

Chief administrator: Roseanne McLaren, Administrator, (541) 608-4900

Firm: Mahlum Architects, (206) 441-4151

Design team: Michael L. Smith, Principal-in-Charge; Erik Goodfriend, Project Manager; Diane G. Shiner, Planning Principal; LeRoy A. Landers, Project Designer; Jim H. Lattz, Project Architect (Mahlum Architects); Carol Mayer-Reed, Landscape Architect (Mayer/Reed)

Photography: Pete Eckert; Brain Prechetel

Total building area (sq. ft.): 250,000 (new); 38,000 (renovation)

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $286 (new); $316 (renovation)

Total construction cost (excluding land): $71,500,000 (new); $12,000,000 (renovation)