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HDR + Corgan design new replacement hospital for Dallas
The New Parkland Hospital replaces the existing 56-year-old hospital, (to which President Kennedy was taken after his assassination.) Totaling almost 2.1 million sq ft of built space on a 64-acre campus, the design addresses scale at multiple levels. From the urban context – this landmark’s vital connection to Dallas – down to the patient or human scale, the design celebrates the community as it emphasises a patient’s positive medical experience.
The building is composed of functional components expressed as discrete, interlocking bars. Articulating individual components provides easy identification and orientation for visitors. The composition also creates a monumental gateway to the landscaped courtyards and linear parks that 'keep the park in Parkland'. In contrast to solid stone areas of the façade, glass curtainwalls incorporate names of County citizens into a graphic representation of trees.
The entire footprint is turned 45% to the street grid for optimal solar orientation and to create a diagonal esplanade connecting neighbourhoods. The design team conducted simulations for many departments to model a patient’s experience. From the point of arrival, the distance to another point of greeting is kept to less than 50 ft. The slender concourse allows quick access to portals of care and provides intuitive way-finding with cues from daylight and exterior views. The plan employs a double corridor system to separate 'onstage' from 'offstage' functions. Acuity-adaptable patient rooms allow the patient to remain in the same room for the duration of their stay, reducing dangerous transfers.
All patient rooms are same-handed, clinical and administrative spaces localised, and nursing stations decentralised to reduce walking distances. A new light-rail transit system offers efficient and environmentally friendly transport to the hospital. In addition to optimised solar orientation, other sustainable design features include drought-tolerant landscaping, water-saving fixtures, low-VOC-emitting materials and photovoltaic systems. The project is targeting LEED Silver certification.
The New Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas, USA, has been produced under a joint venture between HDR + Corgan
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