Submitted by: EwingCole (Philadelphia)

The new Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) Westchester (White Plains, N.Y.) was designed to provide outpatients access to the same level of world-class musculoskeletal care as the main Manhattan campus, in a convenient county location. The regional outpatient center includes a redesigned façade, improved access and landscaping, and a new entrance lobby that connects to the newly constructed ground and first floor programs.

Design of the new center focused on creating a wellness retreat more reminiscent of a spa than a hospital. Using natural materials contrasted with a white, crisp framework, the public spaces evoke a sense of calmness that offers patients and visitors a relaxing place to wait. Warm wood ceilings are juxtaposed with views to the landscape. Color accents punctuated through furniture and local photography on the walls enliven the space. Treatment and rehabilitation spaces infused with vibrant and rich colors project a more modern and upbeat environment to train and rehabilitate, supporting HSS’s mission to get patients “back into the game.”

Functionally, the space was designed to support the multiple departments and practices that are easily connected between rehabilitation, radiology and imaging, and the 21 exam rooms. The ground floor houses a new state-of-the-art hydro-therapy pool, rehabilitation gym and treatment rooms. The first floor acts as the centralized waiting space to support radiology, imaging, specialty care physician practices and an atrium connection to the potential expansion on the second floor.

The building exterior invites people into the new space, with a generous drop-off canopy. Using terracotta panels, the building projects a quality of warmth and scale with a contemporary modern sensibility.

Project Category: New construction

Chief Administrator: Louis A. Shapiro, FACHE, president and CEO

Firm: EwingCole, www.ewingcole.com

Design Team: EwingCole (architect, interior design, lighting); Kallen & Lemelson (MEP engineers); DiSalvo (structural engineer); JMC (landscape & civil)

Total Building Area (Sq. Ft.): 55,000

Construction Cost/Sq. Ft.: $263

Total Construction Cost (Excluding Land): $14.5 million

Completed: October 2017