By Lauren Price / Special to Healthcare Facilities Today

Behind every hospital project lies a design-build challenge. To treat and serve its occupants, the building can be sterile and austere. But a cold, clinical environment provides very little comfort to patients enduring sickness or injury.

Varco Pruden builder Brett Construction Co. sought to resolve the dilemma in their design and construction of a medical outpatient office for Central Baptist Hospital in Winchester, Ky. 

The goal of the project was to provide a comfortable, modern environment conducive to healing for patients. 

The comprehensive 8,305-square-foot expansion of the hospital included the design and construction of an outpatient office consisting of a large waiting room, a lab, supply rooms, staff offices, an employee lounge, a procedure room, two nurse’s stations, two consult rooms, 14 exam rooms and space for future growth that could be easily incorporated into the current layout. 

Rigid frame and continuous beam systems were used in the construction of the facility, which allows ideal flexibility in interior space utilization. The building includes Varco Pruden’s SSR standing seam roof system (24-gauge Galvalume). The exterior design includes fiber cement panels and stone, giving it a warm, inviting appeal. 

Studies indicate that patients recover faster in healthcare environments with access to natural light and views. The protruding front wing of the outpatient office adds natural, ambient light to three sides of the waiting room area. 

The front porch not only contributes to the overall attractive look of the space, it provides shelter from the elements of weather for patients entering the building. 

The layout of the facility was crucial to the flow of efficiency. Very specific requirements were necessary to meet the needs and comfort of the patients, and the facility needed to accommodate three physicians, two physician assistants and staff members. In addition, the patients needed to be able to move about the office with ease throughout the course of their visit. Because only two interior columns were required, it was easier to meet these specifications. 

Lauren Price is a public relations professional at Varco Pruden Buildings.