Comprehensive Outpatient Center with Emergency Department

Holy Cross Hospital commissioned Breitner Architecture to design a new two-story, 40,000-square-foot facility that would house their freestanding emergency center and clinic. The site is in a Regional Activity Center (RAC) zone, which requires buildings to be built close to the property line to create an urban density. This presented challenges on multiple fronts, such as mitigating the elevation difference between rights of way and the finish floor elevation necessitated by buildings deemed to be critical facilities.

Our solution was to reorient the building in such a way that the walk-in entrances to both clinic and FSED were on the interior façade of the property. This single gesture unlocked new opportunities and moments of architectural expression around the site. Emergency vehicular drop-offs, ambulance drop-offs, and service entrances are all organized around this principle as well. The result is a building that responds adeptly to the unique constraints of the site and surrounding context, while creating a welcoming presence to the patients visiting this facility.