Photo: The SAC Health Brier Campus in San Bernadino, Calif., is expected to accommodate 300,000 patient visits over the next five years. | Photo Credit (all): Courtesy of Perkins&Will
By Lindsey Coulter
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — SAC Health has opened its new Brier Campus, a 280,000-square-foot facility that converts a former banking call center into a comprehensive outpatient care hub. Designed in partnership with Perkins&Will and BNBuilders, the adaptive reuse project is now SAC Health’s flagship location in the Inland Empire.
The facility is expected to accommodate 300,000 patient visits over the next five years. With San Bernardino ranked among America’s unhealthiest cities and struggling with high poverty and unemployment rates, the project aims to expand access to high-quality, patient-centered care for underserved residents.
The design-build team applied modular design principles, flexible clinic layouts, streamlined workflows, and natural finishes to meet community needs while allowing for future growth. The existing structure’s open floor plan and grid supported creative layouts, and innovative flooring methods resolved structural challenges without adding weight or cost. These strategies helped the team finish construction on time and under budget.
The design approach focused on three priorities:
- Standardization and Flexibility: Modular clinic units that scale up or down with evolving community needs.
- Community-Centered Design: Spaces inspired by local indigenous traditions and San Bernardino’s status as the nation’s only official Blue Zone, incorporating natural materials and biophilic elements to support healing and well-being.
- Sustainability and Resource Preservation: Reuse of the existing building envelope and systems to minimize landfill waste and carbon emissions.
The Brier Campus includes 158,000 square feet of clinical, dental, behavioral health, and specialty care services; 88,000 square feet of administrative and support areas; a 30,000-square-foot express care clinic for urgent needs; and a 4,000-square-foot community resource center. Patient-focused features such as daylighting, mountain views, seating nooks, and natural textures were integrated into both clinical and administrative spaces.
“Transforming a former call center into today’s SAC Health Brier Campus was an incredible opportunity to demonstrate how thoughtful design can directly impact community health,” said Jeffrey Dreesman, principal and director of medical planning at Perkins&Will. “Our team focused on creating a flexible, patient-centered environment that not only meets the immediate needs of San Bernardino’s residents but can evolve to serve the community for decades to come. By combining adaptive reuse, modular design and biophilic principles, we aimed to deliver a facility that supports healing, accessibility and well-being for all who enter.”
Beyond healthcare delivery, the new campus will boost the local economy by adding more than 200 healthcare and support positions.
The facility’s opening underscores the role of adaptive reuse in expanding access to healthcare while addressing environmental and community concerns. By reimagining a corporate call center as a healthcare hub, SAC Health and its partners delivered a scalable, sustainable model for transforming existing infrastructure into essential public-serving facilities.