UC San Diego Health Jacobs Medical Center
©2016 Christopher Barrett
Jacobs Medical Center is the centerpiece of UCSD Health’s new campus identity focused on the future of health — pairing cutting-edge, modern medicine with best-in-class patient experience.
©2017 Tim Griffith
The building’s overall curvilinear form was driven by the design of the patient units, but also by advanced modeling to capitalize on views, maximize daylight and minimize solar gain and glare.
©2016 Christopher Barrett
As you enter the hospital, you get a first glimpse of the 150-piece therapeutic art collection conceived by philanthropist Joan Jacobs, which features paintings, photographs and sculptures by renowned artists on every floor.
©2016 Christopher Barrett
The Serenity Room was strategically designed without direct views to the outdoors while still guiding light in, allowing a peaceful space for reflection.
©2016 Christopher Barrett
The interior color palette and finishes reflect the neighboring canyon, nearby ocean, and the West Coast’s breathtaking sunsets.
©2016 Christopher Barrett
The patient rooms are equipped with modern finishes, floor to ceiling windows, and an award-winning custom headwall that seamlessly combines all necessary components and equipment into one sculptural element.
©2016 Christopher Barrett
Integrated into the exterior are a number of elevated gardens and terraces that bring nature up to the patient level.
©2016 Christopher Barrett
The Rady Pavilion for Women and Infants on the top floors of Jacobs Medical Center provides the most birthing options available in the San Diego area, not to mention some of the best outdoor views in the hospital.
©2016 Christopher Barrett
The organic nature of the exterior translates to the interior to create an intentional and natural flow.
©2016 Christopher Barrett
The meticulous details and modern finishes were inspired by the hospitality industry.
©2016 Christopher Barrett
Family lounges are optimally designed in prominent locations at the ends of the corridors to allow maximum light and views.
©2016 Christopher Barrett
The geometry creates a subtle continuous flowing curve of the exterior — a dynamic form that changes as one passes around the building’s perimeter.
Submitted by: CannonDesign (Los Angeles)
UC San Diego (UCSD) Health (La Jolla, Calif.) sought to reinvent traditional inpatient care concepts and establish a modern atmosphere that embraces the future of healthcare and the concept of patient-first care. The result is Jacobs Medical Center, a 245-bed hospital and the new centerpiece of the UCSD Health campus. Although one building, the 10-story hospital functions as three hospitals—women and infants, cancer care, and specialty surgery. Dubbed a garden hospital, the building’s organic form artistically interacts with the surrounding environment, and a number of elevated gardens bring nature up to the patient level. Located adjacent to a research facility, the hospital embraces a bench-to-bedside model that facilitates the convergence of research and clinical care.
The curvilinear nature of the exterior influences the interior. Many of the corridors replace typical right angles with curved corner conditions, allowing patient beds to effortlessly be pushed through the hallways. The hospital is easily navigable, using daylight as a tool to combat disorientation and capitalizing on exterior views to assist with wayfinding. The inclusion of floor-to-ceiling windows, artwork, and neutral colors supports cognitive and emotional health. Combining the patient experience with advanced technology, every patient room is furnished with a headwall that seamlessly combines all necessary components and equipment into one sculptural element. Each patient room also includes an iPad—equipped with a unique application that was created from the perspective of improving the experience for both patients and families—that empowers patients to customize their environments and view treatment schedules and medical records.
Project category: New construction and remodel/renovation
Chief administrator: Randy Leopold, senior director, facilities design and construction, University of California San Diego
Firm: CannonDesign, www.cannondesign.com
Design team: Mehrdad Yazdani, design principal; Craig Booth, senior project designer Nadine Quirmbach, interior architecture designer (Yazdani Studio of CannonDesign); Carlos Amato, healthcare principal; Michael Smith, project principal; William D. Hamilton, project executive; Jocelyn Stroupe, healthcare interiors lead (CannonDesign)
Total building area (sq. ft.): 509,500
Completed: October 2016
