PHOTO TOUR: Kaiser Fremont Medical Center Medical Psychiatric Unit
©David Wakely
Located near the emergency department to facilitate intake, the Kaiser Fremont Medical Center’s new medical psychiatric unit features a separate landscaped entry with several works of art to provide a welcoming and compassionate transition for patients, families, and caregivers.
©David Wakely
Drawing ample daylight deep into the unit, the great room, which can accommodate a variety of simultaneous uses, features extensive glazing to support access to fresh air and the outdoors via a private and secure landscaped courtyard. Additional biophilic measures, including the use of natural materials and nature-inspired wall graphics, promote health and well-being.
©David Wakely
Two nurses’ stations, located at opposite ends of the unit where two main corridors terminate, support monitoring and safety at all times. The north station overlooks the great room and courtyard, while the south station features windows that facilitate supervision of adjacent small-group and meditation rooms.
©David Wakely
Each private and semi-private patient room has a partially translucent window to provide both privacy and views to the outdoors, as well as a bathroom, desk and chair. Key security measures include head wall enclosures, specialty door hardware, and alarm mechanisms on the top of doors.
©David Wakely
Connecting patients with the benefits of nature, the secure courtyard features ipe wood walls to add as sense of warmth and comfort to the sheltered space. The courtyard’s curved geometry, an initial response to site constraints, enhances patient visibility for nurses while creating a less rigid and institutional outdoor space.
©David Wakely
On-site trees felled by the addition were recycled into handcrafted benches in the entry courtyard and art pieces of animals.
Kaiser Permanente Northern California renovated an existing medical/surgery unit at the Kaiser Fremont Medical Center in Fremont, Calif., into the healthcare provider’s first inpatient combined medical/psychiatric unit. A pilot project, the unit needed to provide a secure yet calm healing environment for behavioral health patients with medical conditions too severe to be handled in an outpatient setting.
For the project, which was completed in November 2019, TEF Design renovated the existing space on the medical center’s first level, as well as created a single-story addition and a landscaped outdoor courtyard designed to facilitate healing. The unit includes 18 patient beds, an observation room, exam and consultation rooms, a meditation room, dining area, recreation and group activity spaces, staff areas, and a dedicated public entry. Extensive glazing brings plenty of daylight into the facility and a naturally lit great room encourages interaction among patients and offers views to the courtyard.
The layout of the unit ensures separation of patient care and staff service areas, promotes visual supervision, and allows for controlled access points. The designers chose durable finishes, furnishings, fixtures, and equipment that would prioritize safety for patients and staff alike, while also creating a warm, residential-like environment. Natural materials, including ipe wood, were specified whenever possible and soft, warm colors.
To further enhance the noninstitutional feel, the courtyard walls are made of wood and curved to maximize visibility for nurses supervising the area. Trees that had to be removed from the site were reclaimed so sculptors could create benches and artworks for the courtyard.
For more on mental health design trends, check out Healthcare Design’s June/July issue.
Project details:
Facility name: Kaiser Fremont Medical Center Medical Psychiatric Unit
Location: Fremont, Calif.
Completion date: November 2019
Owner: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc.
Total building area: 11,600 sq. ft.
Total construction cost: N/A
Cost/sq. ft.: N/A
Architecture firm: TEF Design
Interior design: TEF Design
Design consultant: Beth Radovanovich
General contractor/Builder: Herrero Builders
Engineering: Kam Yam & Associates (structural); Ted Jacob Engineering Group (mechanical/ plumbing/fire protection); Bay Area consulting Engineers (electrical); Sandis (civil)
Courtyard elements: Jack Ruszel (seating), Reinertson (“Pelicans at Rest” sculpture), Scott Donahue (“Birds, Bears, Beavers” sculpture)
