Loveland, Colo., is an outdoorsman’s paradise. Nestled in the scenic foothills of the Rocky Mountains, it offers miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as pristine streams where fishermen seek contentment with a rod and reel. Scattered throughout the community is a renowned outdoor bronze sculpture collection that has also made Loveland an arts destination. Given its rich surroundings and strong economic base, it’s no surprise the population has been growing steadily.

Steady growth, of course, creates the need for expanded leading-edge healthcare services, something Poudre Valley Health System (PVHS) prides itself on providing. With demographers forecasting more than half a million new Northern Colorado residents by 2030, PVHS officials decided it was time to build a new facility to accommodate the region’s growing healthcare needs. That new facility, Medical Center of the Rockies (MCR), opened its doors on Feb. 14, 2007. The 595,000-gross-square-feet, 136-bed critical care facility, was built for easy expansion, and will ultimately be able to accommodate 400 beds.

From the expansive atrium glass and oversized patient room windows, to the windows that line laboratories and operating rooms, ample natural lighting incorporated into the Medical Center of the Rockies' design enhances patient and staff comfort and creates energy efficiencies. Photos by Joel Eden Photography.

Linda Gesick, PVHS senior vice president of development, felt it was imperative to design a world-class facility that would not only promote health and healing, but also support the environment, enhance staff comfort, and benefit the bottom line through sound product purchases and energy efficiency. “As we were beginning to create a vision for the new facility, we began researching the topic of LEED certification,” Gesick says.

While many industry professionals dismissed the LEED process as being too expensive and cumbersome for healthcare facility managers to embrace, the planning team wondered if there was a discrepancy between perception and reality. According to Gesick, there was a common belief that LEED design and construction would add a minimum of 2-3 percent to the cost of a project. “Even if that projection was true,” she says, “I felt confident we’d recoup the extra money in energy savings alone in the first five years.”

Gesick sought board approval and moved forward. To ensure the facility would meet its users’ needs, she assembled an “A-Team” advisory group, consisting of nurses, physicians, IT staff and community members. “My ‘A-Team’ was responsible for decisions ranging from the selection of the architects and contractors to the design and layout of patient rooms and surgery suites,” Gesick says. After extensive research, the team selected the Denver office of Heery▪HLM | design as its architect.

“Each contractor knew in the RFP that a commitment to LEED certification was required as was participation in an initial discussion to determine which LEED points to seek,” notes Russ Sedmak, Heery▪HLM | design project director. “Hospitals operate somewhat contrary to LEED standards. In general, they are very water and energy intensive. Our task was to turn typical weaknesses into potential strengths.”

From day one, the entire team scoured opportunities to use recycled construction waste. “The group was incredibly creative,” Gesick says. “One of our greatest challenges was determining what to do with drywall material. Ultimately, we found a farmer in nearby Greeley, Colorado, who used the material to make mulch.” MCR was able to recycle 75 percent of its construction waste.

Drawing from its internal healthcare design expertise, a recent tour of several state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, and on-going conversations with the A-team regarding how the building needed to function, Heery▪HLM | design’s staff was able to create an efficient design that reduced the overall footprint of the facility. “We designed the facility to enable visitors, staff and materials to get where they need to go quickly and easily,” Sedmak offers.

Sustainable Design and Materials

PVHS' Medical Center of the Rockies was designed to enable visitors, staff and materials with quick and easy access to areas throughout the facility. Photo by Joel Eden Photography.

From the moment a trauma patient touches down on the helipad, circulation paths —by design — offer the most efficient routes to surgical and trauma suites, as well as ICU and step down units, creating significant time-saving efficiencies. What also renders the circulation unique is the clear separation of public routes from staff and physician routes. This feature intentionally maximizes patient privacy and improves wayfinding for visitors. Efficiency with respect to the movement of staff, patients and materials translates directly into energy savings. “That efficient design also helped us conserve materials,” Sedmak says.

The footprint may be smaller but the impression the facility leaves is dramatic. “PVHS clearly communicated its desire for a facility with an inviting hospitality environment,” Sedmak says. After orienting the building to the southwest to face scenic Long’s Peak, the design team then brought the peaceful sensibility of the mountains inside by creating a four-story atrium that feels like the lobby of a resort. The stacked stone fireplaces and walls in the atrium and café — sustainable by virtue of their local origin — offer visitors a comfortable respite. That hospitality feel extends throughout the building with its warm colors, comfortable furnishing, local artwork, outdoor healing gardens with water features, sky terrace with panoramic mountain views, and ample natural light.

Ample natural lighting, in fact, is one of the sustainable features that differentiate MCR from most other hospitals. From the expansive atrium glass and oversized patient room windows, to the windows that line laboratories and operating rooms,

Heery▪HLM | design used light to enhance patient and staff comfort and create energy efficiencies. “We knew from the outset it would be challenging in a hospital setting to earn a daylighting credit,” Sedmak comments. “On the patient side of the building, light is a desirable feature.”

The 595,000-gross-square-feet, 136-bed critical care MCR facility was built for easy expansion, and will ultimately be able to accommodate 400 beds. Photos by Joel Eden Photography.

All patient rooms have operable windows, a feature the A-Team felt strongly about. “Fresh air is another healing component that is rarely found in hospital rooms, especially ICUs,” Gesick says.

On the clinical side, of course, light has typically been an undesirable and often unattainable hospital feature. While Sedmak believes the facility will earn a daylighting point according to current LEED criteria, he also hopes to gain a point in the innovations category. “What we’ve created is innovative,” he says. “About 50 percent of the lighting required for the clinical laboratory is provided through exterior windows. The daylighting can be controlled with electrically operated window shades.” Sedmak says that half of the operating rooms receive indirect daylight through an exterior circulating corridor. “In the past, surgeons and nurses spent the majority of their lengthy working hours in dark areas. We feel confident the steady flow of daylight will enhance their comfort.”

Efficient heating and cooling systems are also designed to enhance staff and patient comfort, while reducing energy bills. “Thanks to a strong focus on commissioning, systems will be able to operate as efficiently as people,” Sedmak says. "Not only are computer systems being used to monitor equipment, they are also being used to collect and store patient records and imaging, bringing to fruition the owner’s goal of creating a ‘paper-light’ facility.”

The interactive system, known as the Get Well Network, lets patients manage a variety of activities ranging from changing room temperature to downloading specific health education information — all at the touch of a button. “The Get Well Network will not only reduce the amount of paper we use, but save staff time as well,” offers PVHS Chief Nursing Officer Kay Miller.

Thanks to careful attention to the bottom line, the design team was able to construct the facility for $265.55 per square foot. MCR will use 35 percent less energy than an average hospital.

“Our goal is to continue focusing on sustainability through the specification of environmentally friendly products and systems,” says PVHS President/CEO George Hayes. “Clearly, this state-of-the-art facility will bring patients through our doors and provide a healing environment.”

Once inside, he believes it’s up to MCR’s skilled and dedicated staff to create the best possible outcomes. He’s confident both the team and facility are up to that task.

Medical Center of the Rockies

OPENED: FEBRUARY 2007
SIZE: 595,000 GROSS SQUARE FEET
OWNER: POUDRE VALLEY HEALTH SYSTEM
ARCHITECT: HEERY▪HLM | DESIGN
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: JE DUNN
INTERIOR DESIGNERS: GALLUN SNOW ASSOCIATES
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS: BHA DESIGN
MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL/PLUMBING ENGINEERS: CATOR, RUMA & ASSOCIATES
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS: S.A. MIRO, INC.