Inpatient Expansion Design Incorporates Healing

FISHERS, Ind. — A 110,000-square-foot inpatient expansion to St. Vincent Fishers Hospital was completed, and it began treating patients on April 8. Designed by Indianapolis-based BSA LifeStructures, the expansion includes 50 beds: 30 med-surg rooms, 10 observation beds and 10 labor-delivery-recovery-postpartum (LDRP) rooms.

Operated by Ascension Health, a nonprofit Catholic health ministry, the design reflects the ministry’s holistic healing approach and incorporates several pieces of symbolism. For example, the three colors of glass that make up the building’s entrance represent the three doves in St. Vincent’s logo and the glass pattern represents the Christian belief in a triune God (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

A chapel was also a required component in the design and was situated at the front of the building.

“The holy family is important in their psyche for how they approach treatment,” said Carl Johnson, senior project architect for BSA LifeStructures. “We took that triune belief and married those with the location of the chapel so that it starts on the base floor of the building, and the two floors above the chapel are spiritual care rooms, which provide a quiet space for reflection.”

The biggest design challenge was figuring out the site layout so that they “could utilize the existing pieces and then provide everything else you need for a hospital,” Johnson said. There was already an entrance to the emergency department, but they had to create a second one. The previous site had what Johnson called “a challenging roundabout” that comes up right after exiting the highway. With that in mind, they located the second entrance off the roundabout so that the driving entrance separates the patients that are visiting for doctors’ appointments from ones that are going to the hospital.

Based on community surveys, the hospital wanted to provide expectant mothers with comfortable birthing suites. The LDRP room model allows the mother and child to spend the entire birthing process in one room. They also include spa rooms for mothers to labor comfortably in spa tubs. Another thing that sets the hospital apart is that it hired a chef to provide 24-hour food service to meet patients’ dietary needs.

“It’s a state-of-the-art facility that differs from other hospitals in one important way; it is based on the community’s feedback. Over the past several years we surveyed hundreds of area residents, and their answers form the foundation of the new St. Vincent Fishers Hospital,” said Gary Fammartino, administrator of the hospital, in a statement. “They asked for a health care destination focused on wellness and prevention, as well as medical treatment, where moms could deliver their babies in comfortable birthing suites and where more physicians and expanded services are available.”

With the hospital’s close proximity to the highway (about 50 yards away), acoustics were a major concern; however a triple-paned exterior glazing reduced disruptive noise levels.

Another challenge was meeting Ascension Health’s standards, the patient needs and also incorporating LEED aspects. The owner was willing to take a lot of risks in terms of design, Johnson said, and allowed for different locations of windows and other energy saving elements. A 14 percent improvement in energy savings compared to industry standards, improved stormwater quality, reduced energy use and reduced pollution all contribute to the building’s sustainable design.

It is the first hospital in Indiana and the 17th in the nation to register for LEED for Healthcare (LEED-HC) certification.