RTKL applied retail design principles to enhance customer service and wayfinding at the new West Chester (Ohio) Medical Center, which recently broke ground near Cincinnati. The hospital's diagnostic and treatment areas will be arranged in a radial arc just off the rotunda, similar to the way stores are located off a central core in a mall. The goal is to provide a continuum of patient-focused care instead of moving patients between departments. The rotunda will also provide access to the gift shop, information kiosk, concierge, chapel, and dining facilities.
The 370,000-sf acute care hospital is expected to be the most technologically advanced healthcare facility in the greater Cincinnati metropolitan area. Completion of the $207 million project, which includes the hospital and a 90,000-sf medical office building, is slated for the end of 2008. The three-phase development program also includes plans for another 144-bed tower, an additional medical office building, and a 1,200-car parking garage.
The Building Team includes a joint venture of M.A. Mortensen and Messer Construction as the construction manager, and Cincinnati-based Fosdick & Hilmer, Zinser Grossman as the MEP engineer.