Tim Griffith
The building’s glazed façades feature custom ceramic frit pan…
The Orange County, Calif., community that is served by St. Joseph Hospital is quite different from when the healthcare provider’s first building was built in the 1920s, when it served migrant workers who tended the nearby orange groves. Today NBBJ’s first—and largest—phase of a long-range 30-year master plan reflects the ever-growing complexity of need in the community. A 248,000-square-foot, four-level glass and concrete building houses an expansive main entrance and lobby, 150 patient rooms, 14 operating suites, and substantial support and plant functions.
For the NBBJ team, one of the challenges was finding an “empty chair”—an open site in the hospital complex. “The functions of the old building need to be decanted into a new structure, and this is a complex chess game,” says Christian Carlson, design principal on the project. “Getting the demolition and construction timing right is key.”
The first phase takes its inspiration from the straightforward benevolence of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange, the order of nuns that founded the hospital. Tracing their roots back to 17th century France, these Jesuits sisters were tasked to be active missionaries helping those in need.
While on one level the glass curtain wall that wraps most of the structure stands in contrast to the white stucco of the original Mission-style buildings, the design team managed to link the two eras. After meeting his client, the contemporary sisters of St. Joseph, Carlson was so awed by the visionary and worldly attitude of these women that he felt the most meaningful way to bridge old and new was to recall the founding sisters by reproducing their handwritten words on the building. Digitally reproduced, these texts are fritted into the glass curtain wall—and throughout the interior—with ceramic inlays that depict hospital founder Mother Bernard’s handwritten words, including “I pray that you may find light, joy & consolation.”
Overall, the patient center is state of the art: Patients have private rooms, to reduce the transmission of infection, and each room has adjacent areas for families and friends to visit with loved ones. Every patient room has a window which brings nature inside—a key tenet of contemporary healing philosophy. Public spaces likewise promote wellness; a healing garden offers a place for respite, while an elegant scalloped-milk-glass–enclosed main waiting area is filled with natural light.
The hospital does not have LEED certification, but it is fundamentally a green building. As hospitals account for 8 percent of the nation’s energy-use, NBBJ sought to reduce energy consumption. The firm chose energy-efficient Solarban 80 windows, Lutron lighting controls with special sensors, and an energy efficient PVC roofing system. Other green measures include dark sky–compliant exterior lighting, a recycled aluminum curtain wall, low-emitting flooring, and a materials recycling program during construction.
By embracing modern green standards and the latest medical technologies, the hospital is continuing to help the community in a way that espouses the founding sisters’ core values of dignity, service, excellence, and justice.
Project: St. Joseph Hospital Patient Care Center
Location Orange, Calif.
Client St. Joseph Health System
Architect NBBJ
General Contractor McCarthy Building Companies
Engineers KPFF Consulting Engineers; Syska Hennessy Group
Landscape Site Workshop Landscape Architects
Electrical Briggs Electric
Plumbing Pan Pacific Plumbing
Finishes Berger Brothers
HVAC Control Air
Metals The Herrick Co.
Size 248,000 square feet
The Spec List
Ceilings
Acoustical ceilings
USG
usg.com
Woodworks perforated metal ceiling panel in White Maple with a clear finish
Armstrong
armstrong.com
Luminous SkyCeiling in Skies and Blossoms
Sky Factory
theskyfactory.com
Vertical Transport
Geared passenger elevators
Otis Elevator
otisworldwide.com
Flooring
Tribeca broadloom carpet with Lifespan polyurethane backing
Monterey
tandus.com
Manhattan carpet with Lifespan polyurethane backing
Monterey
tandus.com
Royal Mosa ceramic tile
United Tile
unitedtile.com
Glass tile
Ann Sacks
annsacks.com
Marmoleum
Forbo
forbo.com
Noraplan Mega rubber sheet flooring in Arctic Ice and Toffee
Nora
norarubber.com
Vinyl composition tile
Mannington Essentials
mannington.com
Jura Stone in beige and gray
Oregon Tile & Marble
oregontileandmarble.com
Honed limestone
Stratica
amtico.com
Portugese limestone in coffee and light
Stratica
amtico.com
Fixtures
Patient room cabinets
Montbleau
montbleau.com
Doors
Metal doors
Curries
curries.com
Wood doors
VT Industries
vtindustries.com
Exterior
Roofing membrane
Sarnafil
sarnafilus.com
Skylights
Sierra Aluminum
sierraaluminum.com
Solarban 80 insulated glass units in clear
PPG
ppg.com
Sealed spandrel glass units in #453068 green
Northwest Industries
nwiglass.com
Brick/Masonry
Angelus Block
angelusblock.com
Alphaton clay tile façade in natural red
Moeding
moeding.de
Metal wall system in Silver Gray
Centria
centria.com
Precast concrete pavers
American Hydrotech
hydrotechusa.com
Waterproofing membrane
American Hydrotech
hydrotechusa.com
HVAC/Controls
19XR Refrigerant Type 134A chiller
Carrier Corp.
carrier.com
VT1 Model Line cooling tower
Baltimore Air Coil
baltimoreaircoil.com
Model 4300, split coupled, vertical in-line centrifugal pumps
Armstrong
armstrongpumps.com
Air handlers
Energy Lab
energylab.com
Building control system
Siemens
siemens.com
CB/LE 200-6006150#ST steam boilers
Cleaver Brooks
cleaver-brooks.com
Lighting
Patient room lighting
Zumtobel
zumtobel.us
In-grade uplights
Hydrel
hydrel.com
Asymmetric wall washer fixtures
Insight Lighting
insightlighting.com
RIVA RV360 luminaire
HessAmerica
hessamerica.com
9898MH pole top luminaire
Bega
bega-us.com
Lighting controls
Lutron
lutron.com
Finishes
Interior paint
Frazee
frazee.com
Interior paint
Sherwin-Williams
sherwin-williams.com
4 BurkeBase rubber wall base in 209 Gray-Beige
Burke
burkeflooring.com
Surfaces
Laminate for millwork and walls
Wilsonart
wilsonart.com
Reception desk and nurses station solid surfacing
Avonite
avonitesurfaces.com
Hi-Macs solid surfacing
LG Surfaces
lgsurfaces.com
Acryclic panels
Lumicor
lumicor.com
Composite Metal Panels
Reno Bond & Alum Plate
Vinyl wallcovering
LBI Boyd
lbiboyd.com
Vinyl wallcovering
Maharam
maharam.com
Vinyl wallcovering
Designtex
designtex.com
Block Party upholstery fabric
Designtex
designtex.com
Almost Natural upholstery in 924 Tyrian
Paul Brayton Designs
paulbraytondesigns.com
C220 upholstery fabric
Maharam
maharam.com
