Submitted by: EwingCole (Philadelphia)

The new Jefferson Health Cherry Hill (Cherry Hill, N.J.) was designed to provide the hospital with the beginning of a new modernized cutting-edge facility to support its high-quality care and establish its place as one of the leading providers in the region. The project includes a new garage, ambulatory services building, and a new entrance lobby that will connect to a future tower. The project also landscaped the entire site, surrounding the new facility with a park-like environment and introducing a new internal garden between the old tower and the new ambulatory building.

The design of the lobby creates a new central hub and entrance for the entire facility and provides a hinge, connecting the old tower, the new ambulatory facility, and eventually the future tower. The interior design reflects a place of hope and support with extensive views to the newly surrounding landscape. Bathed with natural light that bounces on the soft forms that define the space, the lobby projects a modern environment more reminiscent of a hotel than a hospital. Warm wood ceilings provide a comforting and visually inviting counter to the white walls. Color accents enliven the space.  Artwork and hospitality based furniture punctuate the space providing patients and visitors a place to wait.

Functionally, the space supports the multiple departments that it connects both in the existing tower, the new ambulatory building, and the future tower. The ground floor houses a new patient care center and a café with seating over-looking the gardens. As visitors and patients enter the facility they are welcomed by a greeter situated by sculptured, tree-like kiosks. These trunk-like elements, with their extensive detail and elegant form communicate the system’s approach to patient care: welcoming, hospitable, and concerned for the smallest detail. The second floor provides seating and support for the ambulatory surgery department and the future surgery floor in the patient care tower. It also houses a reflection room for patients and guests seeking a quiet moment and solace. Bridges connect the future tower and the new elevator core of the lobby on levels two and three. The upper floors provide family zones and support for the future tower, allowing them to be part of the great open space while enjoying a sense of privacy overlooking the gardens. The lower level provides a new conference area and breakout zone for the hospital and its larger community.

The building’s exterior concave form invites people into the new space, with a generous drop-off canopy. The exterior skin utilizes glass to project a contemporary modern sensibility. This glass surface is intermixed with travertine stone at the elevator allowing the curved solid form to project a sense of timelessness. The exterior palette is finished with wood look panels to provide a quality of warmth and scale to the ensemble.

Project Category: New construction

Chief Administrator: Lisa Dutterer

Firm: EwingCole, www.ewingcole.com

Design Team: EwingCole, (architect, interior designer, MEP, and structural engineer); Land Dimensions Engineering (civil engineer); Cairone and Kaupp (landscape architect)

Total Building Area (Sq. Ft.): 102,000

Construction Cost/Sq. Ft.: $803

Total Construction Cost (Excluding Land): $82 million

Completed: June 2017