Project Description
University Health Systems Consortium (UHC) is an association that networks academic medical centers. The design team translated what UHC does at the most fundamental level – connects its membership – and looked at its members: healthcare professionals. Responding to both, architectural interpretations of body systems became the foundation of the design: the nervous system, the respiratory and the skeletal.
Stepping off the elevators, one enters UHC’s central nervous system. Light fixtures, whose form allude to firing synapses, reflect in the high-gloss glass walls and stone floor, creating the sensation that one is surrounded by light impulses. This extends beyond the elevator lobby, drawing people to the reception area. Within reception, neuron-inspired sculptural movable screens create a separated anteroom area for the boardroom. The boardroom is the cortex, the nexus of all member connections. Vision begins here.
Staff connection was equally important. Openness, transparency and natural light throughout the workplace support staff engagement. At the nucleus of the staff experience is the large cafe, which provides a variety of settings to increase its appeal. This floor’s respiratory system theme is carried through by the entrance screen, glass mosaic wall and light fixtures. It is a place to stop and refresh, to take a breath.