Healthcare might be decentralizing, but that isn’t the end of the line for acute-care hospitals, which have to be better designed than ever to compete, Taylor Design principal-in-charge Neal Rinella tells us. Recently the design-build team of Taylor Design, Petra Integrated Construction Strategies and McCarthy Building Cos completed work on the $228M St. Jude Medical Center Northwest Tower in Fullerton, which includes a 200k SF, four-story acute care building and a 14k SF central utility plant. A successful healthcare facility, Neal says, has to balance two primary uses: cutting-edge surgical suites and spaces for healing and recovery.

Neal gives us a run-down on some of the project’s tech: the 120-bed tower features computers for medical use in every patient room; 14 operating rooms with “smart” surgical suites; a Neurosurgery Suite with an intra-operative MRI integrated with BrainLab’s newest technology; a Cardiovascular Hybrid Room with robotic C-arm; dedicated orthopedic rooms; and Integrated General Surgery Suites. As for healing and recovery, an example is the window grouping on the third floor that features varying glass widths and multiple colors wrapping the building. The band brings in generous light, which is critical for a patient’s sense of well-being, Neal explains.