Location
Albuquerque, NM
Size
70,000 SF | Renovation
Completed
January 2020
In addition to high-quality care, patients include convenience as part of their physician decision equation. Recognizing this shift, New Mexico Orthopaedics put the needs and wants of their patients at the forefront when selecting a site and designing a space that re-envisions the “doctor visit.” Located in the old Montgomery Wards Department Store, NMO, with SCOUT’s help, undertook a major renovation to build its flagship clinic.
The Design
This medical facility is big, serving over 700 patients daily with the help of over 200 staff and 60 providers. It covers an area of more than 70,000 square feet across three floors and contains 78 exam rooms, a procedure room, eight x-ray machines, two MRI suites, a physical and occupational therapy gym, NMO’s retail space “the Motion Shop,” and a full administrative staff area known as “the collaboration zone.”
The exam rooms and care team stations are organized into groups called “pods” and are spread out across three internal clinics. Each clinic has multiple X-ray suites and a cast room located at its center. The clinic’s layout is designed to facilitate easy communication and efficient workflows between healthcare providers, assistants, and patients. Moreover, strategically placed monitors are integrated throughout the clinics to enable staff to monitor each patient’s visit from start to finish and coordinate their movements during appointments.
But With A Modern Touch
The old three-story atrium was filled in, and the pyramid skylight was refurbished and incorporated into the wayfinding serving as the entry point into clinics B and C.
A Brand New Atrium
NMO’s main entrance has a new atrium that brings natural light deeper into the building while giving patients a clear view of where to go after checking in at “First Impressions.”
Despite its beauty, the existing cast-in-place concrete slab posed a challenge during construction. To create the two-story entrance, around 1,800 square feet of the second floor had to be supported with engineered shoring extending down to the basement during demolition. Due to the thin and deteriorating sections of concrete decking between beams, heavy equipment could not be used inside the building. Instead, a creative and careful approach was taken using chain and pulley systems to remove thousand-pound sections of concrete one at a time. Finally, I-beams were installed to frame the new opening.
photos by mattophoto
Location
Albuquerque, NM
Size
70,000 SF | Renovation
Completed
January 2020