Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital has won a National Award of Merit in the Healthcare Facilities category from the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA). As a result of this honor, the project is automatically a nominee for the National Award of Excellence in the Healthcare Facilities category, the highest honor within each category.
For over 45 years, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia, California has served the healthcare needs of the Santa Clarita Valley. To continue to serve the community’s growing needs, the design-build team of Bernards and HMC Architects designed a new 160,000 square-foot, six-story, 116 bed patient tower centered on the patient experience that integrates seamlessly into the existing campus. The tower is home to a dedicated maternity floor with seven labor and delivery rooms, 22 post- and antepartum rooms, two C-section operating rooms, three medical-surgical floors, a new kitchen and cafeteria, and shell space for future expansion. Strategically located among three of the campus’ existing buildings, the new tower faced a challenging fit. Our design team created an innovative solution which pulled its foundation away from existing buildings and provided more square footage by cantilevering C-section rooms over an existing building. Considered the project’s “fifth wall,” the outdoor environment was integrated into the interior design with large windows and a basement sunken courtyard to decrease anxiety and encourage healing. Each patient room has an open view to the picturesque valley, waiting areas feature large floor-to-ceiling windows, and there is an abundance of daylight at the end of each corridor.
The design-build structure was imperative to the project’s success. The structure shifted risk from the owner to the team, allowing the team to freely collaborate and get shovels in the ground quickly. The team’s leadership philosophy encouraged open communication and engagement of all team members from owner to user groups. From the start of the project, the team operated as “one team,” no longer distinguishing ourselves as separate entities but rather “The Henry Mayo Patient Tower Team.” The result of this design-build teamwork is a natural and intuitive hospital design that will welcome its newest neighbors for years to come.
“From rapid response COVID-19 medical units to delivering essential infrastructure that strengthens our nation, design-build continues to play a vital role in building our communities. This year’s Design-Build Project/Team Award winners are the best examples of how the power of collaboration and innovation is transforming the way we design and build,” said Lisa Washington, CAE, DBIA Executive Director/CEO
DBIA’s 2020 award-winning projects were evaluated by a distinguished panel of design-build experts. All winners will be announced at DBIA’s Design-Build Conference and Expo Awards Ceremony on October 29th. A full list of project winners, including photos and descriptions of each project can be found online at DBIA’s Project/Team Awards page.
