UC Davis Health recently marked the opening of the new Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building and the expansion of the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC). Located in Sacramento, Calif., the eye center provides eye care, vision research, and training for specialists and investigators. With the new building, the eye center’s vision scientists can increase capacity for clinical trials by 50%.
Designed by HGA in partnership with San Francisco design firm TEF, the state-of-the-art facility consolidates UC Davis Health Eye Center’s optometry and ophthalmology patient care, clinical research and training, and departmental offices all under one roof. The facility integrates a partial renovation of the existing ACC with a new addition, resulting in a 78,500-sf building.
The biophilic design provides filtered daylighting, critical for sight-impaired patients, as well as patterns and views that connect patients with nature. The building also features nature-toned exterior materials at the base, with a folding clear glass curtain wall above.
With a focus on patients, the design includes wayfinding elements that help reduce patient anxiety and improve health outcomes. All clinic waiting and reception areas are located off of a unified circulation spine that runs the length of the building, which helps with wayfinding. The circulation spine also runs parallel to the exterior landscaped promenade, promoting access to nature.
Other patient-centered components include high-contrast colors and textures throughout the building to improve wayfinding, as well as common spaces with home-like furnishings to comfort patients. Amenities include an optical shop, outdoor terrace, and exterior promenade connected to the parking structure with artwork, wall seating, and lighting.
On the Building Team:
Owner: UC Davis Health
Design architect: HGA, in partnership with TEF
Architect of record: HGA
MEP engineer: Guttmann & Blaevoet
Structural engineer: Buehler Engineering Inc.
General contractor: McCarthy Building Companies
Construction management services: Vanir
Civil engineering: Siegfried Engineering
Landscape architecture: Quadriga
Acoustics consulting: The Acoustics and Vibration Group, Inc.
Related Stories
| Sep 10, 2013
The new medical office building: 7 things to know about today’s outpatient clinic
Regulatory pressures, economic constraints, and emerging technologies are transforming healthcare. Learn how Building Teams are responding with efficient, appealing, boundary-blurring outpatient buildings.
| Sep 10, 2013
BUILDINGChicago eShow Daily – Day 2 coverage
The BD+C editorial team brings you this real-time coverage of day 2 of the BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland conference and expo taking place this week at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza.
| Sep 4, 2013
Augmented reality goes mainstream: 12 applications for design and construction firms
Thanks to inexpensive mobile devices and increasingly advanced software apps, Building Teams are finally able to bring their BIM models to life on the job site.
| Sep 4, 2013
Smart building technology: Talking results at the BUILDINGChicago/ Greening the Heartland show
Recent advancements in technology are allowing owners to connect with facilities as never before, leveraging existing automation systems to achieve cost-effective energy improvements. This BUILDINGChicago presentation will feature Procter & Gamble’s smart building management program.
| Aug 30, 2013
A new approach to post-occupancy evaluations
As a growing number of healthcare institutions become more customer-focused, post-occupancy evaluations (POE) are playing a bigger role in new construction and renovation projects. Advocate Health Care is among the healthcare organizations to institute a detailed post-occupancy assessment process for its projects.
| Aug 26, 2013
What you missed last week: Architecture billings up again; record year for hotel renovations; nation's most expensive real estate markets
BD+C's roundup of the top construction market news for the week of August 18 includes the latest architecture billings index from AIA and a BOMA study on the nation's most and least expensive commercial real estate markets.
| Aug 26, 2013
13 must-attend continuing education sessions at BUILDINGChicago
Building Design+Construction's new conference and expo, BUILDINGChicago, kicks off in two weeks. The three-day event will feature more than 65 AIA CES and GBCI accredited sessions, on everything from building information modeling and post-occupancy evaluations to net-zero projects and LEED training. Here are 13 sessions I'm planning to attend.
| Aug 22, 2013
Energy-efficient glazing technology [AIA Course]
This course discuses the latest technological advances in glazing, which make possible ever more efficient enclosures with ever greater glazed area.
| Aug 14, 2013
Green Building Report [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Building Design+Construction's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms.
| Jul 30, 2013
Better planning and delivery sought for VA healthcare facilities
Making Veterans Administration healthcare projects “better planned, better delivered” is the new goal of the VA’s Office of Construction and Facilities Management.