The M.T. Mustian Center, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare’s (TMH) new ICU and surgery tower, provides state-of-the-art critical care services with cutting-edge adult intensive care units to meet growing demand in the region. Gresham Smith worked with TMH from inception to completion, using Lean design and a research-backed, human-centered approach to create a space that supports enhanced care and staff effectiveness.

The facility’s 72-bed ICU is housed on three floors. Each 24-bed floor has a racetrack configuration, with beds organized into pods of eight near three nurse team stations, and features an internal corridor intended to keep “offstage” staff and support activity away from the patient rooms. Glass around nurse stations minimize noise created by staff interactions, while nurse observation points outside ICU rooms eliminate distractions and maximize patient interaction.

ICU patient rooms have three dedicated zones: a staff zone, a patient zone and a family zone. The staff zone serves as a work area and is designated by differentiated flooring, while the family zone serves as a space for sitting, working and sleeping. Additionally, ICU family lounges include amenities such as vending machines, coffee, toilets, a shower and a laundry room, and sleep rooms and staff lounges lined with full-height windows provide an opportunity for respite.

Project category: Addition

Chief administrator: Mark O’Bryant, president and CEO, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare

Firm: Gresham Smith, www.greshamsmith.com

Design team: Gresham Smith (architecture, interior design, MEP engineering, graphics and wayfinding); TLC Engineering Solutions, Inc. (low voltage engineering); McVeigh & Magnum Engineering (structural engineering); Moore Bass Consulting, Inc. (civil engineering and landscape architecture); Brasfield & Gorrie (general contractor)

Total building area (sq. ft.): 347,000

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $452

Total construction cost (excluding land): $157 million

Completed: May 2019