Robins Medical Group (78th MDG) faced the need to renovate their aging mid-1960s medical clinics to address modern patient-centered medical home care models. The clinic’s mission had changed from its original inpatient function to an outpatient clinic, resulting in unnecessary operations, maintenance and energy costs. As a result, Robins’ MDG turned to CBRE | Heery for design-build services that would create a more modern and inviting environment for patients as well as improved facilities for staff.
The challenge for CBRE | Heery’s design team was to update the existing Medical Group facility (Building 700) by incorporating progressive medical home care models, while maintaining operations in the facility during the extensive renovation. This project also provided the opportunity to meld this facility to a more recently-completed adjacent building (Building 700A) that housed Mental Health and Public Health into a more seamless healthcare campus.
CBRE | Heery’s design solution provides a world class facility, both in form and function that enhances and expands the Medical Mall concept throughout both facilities. The design concept transitioned Building 700 & 700A into one cohesive clinical facility while creating an open, friendly and spa-like environment in areas of respite, encouraging a collegial and conversational atmosphere for both patients and staff through the use of community spaces and outdoor areas for personal communication, reflection or just relaxation. Operational flows and staff efficiencies are enhanced by co-locating and consolidating all like services while giving special attention to patient privacy and personnel safety for Mental Health and Public Health.
The interior wayfinding is greatly simplified with each major department and their reception areas identifiable from the main entry and wide mall corridors. The coffee bar located directly opposite the garden entry provides opportunity for spatial orientation as well as creating a friendly atmosphere with terrazzo flooring, floating ceiling panel grids, decorative 3Form and millwork panels. It was the Air Force’s desire for the two buildings to have a uniform appearance, and to achieve this, the exterior brick skin of building 700 was completely removed and replaced with the same brick as on building 700A.
The Exterior Design concept defers to the primary entry and hierarchy of Building 700A and allows patients to easily recognize building 700’s separate entrance.
Punctuating this entrance is a LEED HC compliant area of respite for patients and staff with opportunity in the garden space for relaxation and thoughtful reflection. The 71,707 square foot clinic also features laboratory, pharmacy and radiology facilities.
One of the biggest achievements of the project is the building’s energy efficiency, which was officially recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) earlier this year as a LEED Silver certified building. Even since the completion of the project’s second phase, the 78th MDG has been identified by the Air Force Medical Support Agency as being one of the leading medical facilities in the Air Force in regard to reduction in energy consumption.
That reduction is attributed to changes made to the facility during phases one and two of the project, which involved such things as replacing/modernizing the chiller and cooling tower. The buildings’ two old large cooling towers were replaced with a much smaller energy efficient model, air handlers, boilers and electrical systems. Daylight harvesting, insulated reflective windows, motion sensor lighting detection and an entirely new high efficiency HVAC system were also incorporated into the building as additional measures in achieving energy efficiency and lower operating costs.
CBRE | Heery’s design-build team outlined opportunities to recycle building materials through each phase of demolition, including concrete, lead, steel, copper, aluminum, exterior brick, concrete and the gravel ballast from the old roof.
The team created a truly interactive environment that promotes creativity and innovation resulting in a technically-superior product. This was a true 24/7 collaboration and integration with no stone left unturned, vetting every design issue with multiple options and arriving at solutions that are energy-conscious, cost effective and always maintaining an advocacy for the Air Force personnel that utilize this facility.