Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital has won a National Award of Merit in the health care facilities category from the Design-Build Institute of America for the design and construction of the hospital’s new patient tower.
As a result of this honor, the project is automatically a nominee for the National Award of Excellence in the health care facilities category, the highest honor within each category.
The new patient tower is strategically located among three of the campus’ previously existing buildings, so it faced a challenging fit.
The design team at HMC Architects created an innovative solution that pulled the tower’s foundation away from existing buildings and provided more square footage by cantilevering C-section rooms over an existing building.
Considered the project’s “fifth wall,” the outdoor environment was integrated into the interior design, with large windows and a basement sunken courtyard to decrease anxiety and encourage healing.
Each patient room in the tower has an open view of the surrounding picturesque Santa Clarita Valley while waiting areas have large floor-to-ceiling windows and there is an abundance of daylight at the end of each corridor.
“We are very pleased that our beautiful new patient tower has received this recognition,” Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation President Marlee Lauffer said in a prepared statement. “From the day it opened last October, it’s been a place of healing and comfort for our patients and their families. The additional private rooms have been an especially important addition during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
DBIA’s 2020 award-winning projects were evaluated by a distinguished panel of design-build experts, and all winners are expected to be announced at DBIA’s Design-Build Conference and Expo Awards Ceremony on Oct. 29.
