Baptist Health Care Pensacola - Brent Lane Campus

Project Statement

In this project statement, we’ll focus on 3 design qualities central to the project’s success. First, that campus planning creates a meaningful sense of place with public space and architecture that contributes positively to the fabric of the city. Second, that the hospital was designed with sustainable design principles with an emphasis on resiliency. And finally, that the exterior and interior design are rooted in the community and natural environment of Pensacola.

Town Square
The distinguishing feature of the new campus are the many live oaks and magnolias that occupy the site, some 6 feet in diameter and 200 years old. The intent to preserve these trees grew into an overarching goal to design a hospital that embraces and reflects the community of Pensacola. The design sprang from a radical but simple idea: “What if we put a park where the parking lot usually goes?”
With the parking relegated to the periphery of campus, the town square weaves together the different medical buildings, locating nature at the center of the campus. The 2-acre park has become a popular community asset - people from all over Pensacola drive here to eat in the park or do yoga on the lawn.

Resiliency & Sustainability
An ambitious 100-year lifespan goal was set for the new BHCP Brent Lane campus with the intent that this project be designed to be maximally resilient. To meet this challenge, an extensive “Climate Risk Assessment” was performed which weighs the probability of climate hazard events, and estimates the impact. As a result of this study, the facility can operate off-grid for 4 days including emergency power and potable water. Site design accommodates 1000-year flood levels, while the structure and envelope are engineered to withstand 170 mph 3-second wind gusts and large debris impacts.
Further sustainable design elements are included in the design excellence narrative.

Rooted to the Community
Finally, for the new hospital to reflect and represent the community, the material palette draws heavily from the natural environment. Fine aggregate used in the precast panels is the same iconic white sand sourced directly from Pensacola. The subtle color variation found in wind swept beaches is achieved with sand-blasted, ribbed, and polished surfaces that catch light and enliven the facade. Building entrances are highlighted with warm, tactile terracotta panels which also characterize the oldest buildings in the historic district built by Spanish settlers.

Framework for Design Excellence Narrative

### Design For Ecosystems

In addition to the emphasis on resiliency, the hospital and campus incorporate numerous sustainable and energy efficient design tactics. To start, the hospital is oriented with the patient rooms facing north and south to eliminate the excessive glare and heat gain that comes with broad western exposure. Other design features to note are:

- Ceramic frit and vertical fins reduce cooling loads.
- Glass on the lower floors is imprinted with a custom bird-safe frit pattern designed to minimize collisions, using more than 400,000 dots.
- Changing the blowing agent for the closed cell spray insulation from HFC to HFO reduced the embodied carbon of the precast envelope assembly by 33%.
- The structure uses Type 1L cement, which led to a 13% reduction in embodied carbon.
- No potable water will be used for cooling towers under normal conditions. Make up water will instead be provided through reclaimed storm water and groundwater. **It is estimated that this strategy will save Baptist Hospital approximately 3.6 million gallons of potable water each year. (~ $100,000)**
- A dedicated gray water system serves hose bibs located throughout the facility.
- Moisture control irrigation sensors avoid watering already saturated soil.
- Recovery systems captures more than 70% of the energy from exhaust air.
- Heat recovery chillers capture 1mil btu/hr in order to preheat domestic hot water.
- Energy Star rating of 95 for appliances and equipment.
- The ZeroTool EUI baseline for the project is 244. As a result of all the features listed above, **the project’s predicted EUI is only 141 including the hospital, energy plant, and office buildings.**

### Design for Integration

One “big idea” came to define every aspect of this project’s design. The brownfield site was rampant with massive live oaks and magnolias, some 6 feet in diameter and over 200 years old. Instead of clear cutting the site, the design team proposed to organize the entire campus around the groves. The oldest stands of trees were envisioned as a common area to weave together the different medical buildings, placing nature at the center of the campus. A common refrain during the site design process became, “sometimes as designers our job is to just not ruin the beauty that’s already here.”

As evidence of the success of the town square as a public amenity for the community, students and teachers from the nearby Pensacola Christian College can be seen walking across Brent Lane just to sit or stroll through the park, maybe grab a bite to eat and prepare for class. A few additional features are listed here:

- The feeling of the campus is “a hospital in a park” which is a dramatic experience and a special healing environment.
- Amenities of the town square include rehab walking trails, healing gardens, sculptures by local artists, exercise yards, benches and lunch tables.
- The 2 acre town square has become a new community space - people from all over Pensacola drive here to eat in the park or do yoga on the lawn.
- A new on-site bus stop plus bike racks and showers allow for diverse accessibility.
- 31% of the site is vegetated and allocated exclusively to native plants that support migratory species and pollinators.
- Native plantings are irrigated with storm water that’s collected in 3 underground basins. **No potable water is used for irrigation.**
- The nature serves as a wayfinding tactic so occupants always know where they are by simply looking out the window.

### Design for Well-being

Design for well-being is even more imperative when it comes to healthcare projects. Beyond employing best practices and efficient organization, BHCP implements some truly innovative concepts using evidence based design.

- The facility only includes “same-handed” inpatient and recovery rooms. Data shows eliminating “mirrored” rooms significantly reduces medical error. The trade-off is slightly higher MEP and construction costs.
- Through universal patient room design, Med/Surg rooms can be upgraded into ICU rooms with minimal renovation, providing future flexibility.
- Light wells are provided within diagnostics and treatment departments. Data shows daylight reduces stress and levels of staff fatigue. These departments are often buried within hospital, leaving occupants windowless.
- All patient destinations and departments are connected by a single, continuous concourse, linking the hospital and MOB, reducing stress and confusion for first time visitors.
- Each waiting area is located on the town square side of the campus buildings, allowing visitors to always have an intuitive sense of where they are.
- On-stage and off-stage areas are separated, providing a quiet, calming experience.
- Exam rooms are standardized between departments so that staff can easily flex during periods of high demand. Additionally, templated rooms mean new clinics can be added without renovation.
- Clinic design encourages communication between providers by locating offices and workstations in an open, collaborative hub. Interdepartmental collaboration happens effortlessly by design.
- Interior walls are demountable, allowing for spaces to be rearranged in the future as healthcare delivery inevitably changes and evolves.