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
