New hospital serves as a model of flexibility in fast-growing area

The new hospital will serve as a model for future greenfield hospitals that UCHealth plans to build on an expedited schedule.

Photo credit: © Jim Roof Creative, Inc.

In keeping with its location in one of the fastest-growing communities in an area known for its rugged outdoor scenery, the new UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont, Colo., is designed for future expansion and to serve as a model for other new facilities in the burgeoning health system.

Working with design firm EYP Health and others involved in the project, Sean Menogan, vice president of facilities, design and construction, UCHealth, developed a plan for a small hospital that could grow over time.

Longs Peak Hospital’s flexibility will serve as a model for other greenfield community hospitals that UCHealth plans to build on a faster-than-usual schedule. Menogan credits the collaboration between EYP Health and general contractor Haselden Construction for achieving the objectives.  

“From a design and construction perspective, we had two major goals for the Longs Peak Hospital project: Design an expandable, site-adaptable inpatient chassis that UCHealth could use at other greenfield hospital sites and deliver the project faster than the typical industry standards,” Menogan says.

The new 210,000-square-foot hospital provides more than 50 inpatient beds and room to expand to more than 100.

Use of Colorado Buff stone, brick and wood in the building's design hark back to the area's natural environment.

Photo credit: © Jim Roof Creative, Inc.

The Longs Peak Hospital design is being replicated in whole or in part at new UCHealth locations across the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains. Through the use of building information modeling technology and advanced prefabrication techniques, it took only 14 months to construct the facility, Menogan says.

The hospital is designed to reflect the area it serves while still conveying the UCHealth brand, says Tushar Gupta, EYP Health's lead designer on the project.

"The architectural vocabulary of the building reflects the regional vernacular and a timeless character to establish a memorable brand identity for UCHealth,” Gupta says. “The refined arc of the curved roof provides the most distinctive element of the architectural brand — an iconic, identifiable form that announces the UCHealth facility without words."

The exterior and its materials speak to the mountainous locale where residents hold a deep connection to the outdoors. Colorado Buff stone, brick and wood give the building a native sensibility. 

The sleek use of metal emphasizes the facility’s modern design. High-performance glass in the building envelope supports energy efficiency while offering views outside and natural daylight into patient and staff areas to promote health and healing.

Regional stone and natural woods carry into the building's interior to maintain consistency while the strategic application of accent colors ease wayfinding. The use of warm, natural wood at key touchpoints reinforces a human connection.

The interior design elements create a chic lodgelike environment, appropriate to the Colorado setting, easily identifiable and adaptable for other facilities. As stewards of the environment, UCHealth is pursuing a Silver LEED for Healthcare rating with the project.

"To keep pace with UCHealth's ambitious goals, they wanted to develop a prototypical hospital design that could be adapted for the specific needs of different sites and communities, yet would standardize key elements of the facility model to support the system's growth plans,” says Mark Vaughan, AIA, senior principal and lead planner, EYP, Dallas.

The hospital includes an intensive care unit, operating rooms, a Level III trauma center and emergency department, advanced cardiac services, a birth center with a Level II special care nursery, a surgery center and 24-hour retail pharmacy, laboratory and imaging services.

In addition, Longs Peak Hospital patients will gain access to advanced treatments, complex surgeries and innovative clinical trials across the entire UCHealth system.

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