University of Kansas Hospital Authority, Medical Office Building by Cannon Design

Article source: Cannon Design

Accommodating 400,000 clinic visits a year, the new Medical Office Building at the University of Kansas Medical Center provides a complete range of ancillary testing and care to ambulatory adult and pediatric patients in a convenient, comfortable environment.  The six-story, 214,000 sf building houses 10 outpatient specialty clinics and provides consolidated office space for more than 200 ambulatory-care physicians and 200 residents previously dispersed throughout the medical center’s campus.

Exterior View (Images Courtesy Gayle Babock, Architectural Imageworks, LLC)

• Architect: Cannon Design
• Project: University of Kansas Hospital Authority, Medical Office Building
• Location: Kansas City, Kansas, USA
• Size: 185,000 sf
• Engineers: Burns & McDonell International (MEP); Professional Engineering Consultants (Civil); Kleinfelder (Geotechnical)
• Photography: Gayle Babock, Architectural Imageworks, LLC

For maximum efficiency, Cannon Design developed a standard clinic module and a space allocation model based on physician practices and patient visit volumes.  Thirteen clinic modules, each equipped with 12 exam rooms, staff work space, and reception and support areas, facilitate future adjustments in space assignments and enable the facility to respond to changes in care delivery. Patient and staff zones are segregated as much as possible, with separate public and service entries, corridors, and elevators on all levels.  All public spaces enjoy natural light and views.

Exterior View (Images Courtesy Gayle Babock, Architectural Imageworks, LLC)

Clad in an aluminum panelized system with punched window openings and aluminum curtainwall, the building shelters a patient drop-off area formed via a notching-out of the first two floors at the southeast corner, enabling cars to drive underneath.  Clear signage and new connecting bridges to the main hospital and a new 600-car parking garage streamline processes for patients as they park, check in, and receive high-quality care.  The University of Kansas Hospital Authority is pursuing LEED certification for the project—the first new building on the campus, and one of the first medical office buildings in the city to achieve this distinction.

Interior View (Images Courtesy Gayle Babock, Architectural Imageworks, LLC)

The main lobby—a two–story space facing south into the undercover arrival zone—is accessible by a glass enclosed vestibule. Public waiting is situated at the base of the two-story space overlooking the arrival turnaround. An open communicating stair south of the main vertical core provides access to level two.  A column-free space, clinic waiting is identical on all the upper levels of the MOB. The tall ceiling height along the glass exterior insures that all spaces receive a consistent penetration of natural light.

Interior View (Images Courtesy Gayle Babock, Architectural Imageworks, LLC)

The meandering shape of the floor to ceiling exterior glass wall is counter balanced by a similar shaped wood bulkhead over the transaction counter and portions of waiting.  This combination of forms encourages a flexible seating arrangement for waiting that provides patrons with a variety of seating alternatives to suit their comfort needs. The walls defining the transaction and waiting zones are sculpted to enhance acoustics and provide opportunities to display art on each floor.  A floor to ceiling window on its south wall has framed views to the exterior.

Interior View (Images Courtesy Gayle Babock, Architectural Imageworks, LLC)

Interior View (Images Courtesy Gayle Babock, Architectural Imageworks, LLC)

Interior View (Images Courtesy Gayle Babock, Architectural Imageworks, LLC)

Interior View (Images Courtesy Gayle Babock, Architectural Imageworks, LLC)

Interior View (Images Courtesy Gayle Babock, Architectural Imageworks, LLC)

Courtesy Gayle Babock, Architectural Imageworks, LLC

Tags: Kansas, Kansas City

Category: Hospital

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 15th, 2011 at 5:47 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.