Northwestern Health-Care Facility Wins Vista Award

Health-care architect Anshen+Allen received the 2009 Vista Award, along with hospitality specialist WATG and builder Turner Construction Company.

Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 4/16/2009 12:00:00 AM

You couldn’t blame the team at Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend for bragging—the brand-new facility in Springfield, Oregon just claimed this year’s Vista Award for New Construction, an annual prize bestowed by the American Society of Healthcare Engineering.

Architects Anshen+Allen and WATG, and builder Turner Construction Company, are the triumphant triumvirate behind the $547 million, 1.2 million-square-foot complex. But sharing in the victory is PeaceHealth Oregon Region, Sacred Heart’s parent, which asked hospital staff and community members to be part of the design process. More than 500 physicians, nurses and caregivers responded, and together they formed more than 60 planning teams. "Working together, we had the chance to turn an empty field in a uniquely beautiful location into an integrated, technologically advanced hospital that will redefine health-care design and patient care," says PeaceHealth CEO, Mel Pyne.

Intended to evoke the grand lodges of the Pacific Northwest, the brick complex sits on 181 acres, framed by rolling hills, groves of Douglas fir trees, a meadow, and the McKenzie River. Visitors are greeted by a stone-and-timber porte-cochere that leads to a two-story atrium. With a stone fireplace as its center, the atrium also features an expansive skylight, a grand staircase and an open-beam ceiling made with repurposed wood from the few Douglas firs that were sacrificed during construction.

The interior detailing—custom handcrafted iron and brass railings, custom lighting, natural stone masonry and porcelain tile—is carried throughout the facility, from registration areas and nursing stations to patient rooms and dining facilities. Even the emergency room can’t escape residential touches. "You don't feel that you're in a hospital," says Anshen+Allen principal Todd Tierney. "The idea is to provide health-care without it feeling institutionalized."



All images courtesy of Anshen+Allen. Photos 1-4 by David Wakely; Photo 5 by Carlos Rubio.