Approaching the Entry Circle
Upon arrival at the entry circle to the hospital, patients and visitors will be greeted by an expanse of green space, over which the main entry to the hospital and a second entry and parking area for the Phillips Family Cancer Center will be clearly visible.
From this approach, the building will stand just two stories tall, constructed in natural materials very familiar to Central Virginia – primarily brick, stone, wood and slate. The design is meant to
create a unique sense of place; one that reflects our local culture and will stand the test of time.
The Martha Jefferson tradition of complimentary valet parking will remain, helping ensure that from the first moments of arrival a personal experience is ensured.
A Welcoming Front Door
The process of designing the new Martha Jefferson Hospital never wavered from a focus on people – patients, families, friends, caregivers and staff. The door through which we enter and exit the hospital can have a tremendous impact on how we feel about what happens inside.
Our hope is that the experience of walking through the front door will be a bit different than most might expect when the destination is an environment where some of life’s greatest joys – and most significant challenges – occur every day. The transition inside will represent entering
an extension of our community, as opposed to the institutional presence usually associated with modern hospitals.
Just as a front door of a home is only built once, such is the approach we have taken with the main entrance of the new Martha Jefferson Hospital. It will remain the same no matter how large the hospital may grow over the coming decades.
Common Areas that Celebrate
Central Virginia’s Natural Beauty
Every day, hundreds of people will walk through the front door and into the main lobby of the new hospital. Each will have their own reason for entering the hospital, whether it is to provide or receive care, or lend support to a loved one.
The main lobby and, directly above, the dining pavilion of the new hospital will provide some of the nicest views over the city of Charlottesville out to the Blue Ridge Mountains found in any public space in Central Virginia.
While serving very important roles for all who enter the hospital, these spaces will set a tone of comfort and confidence.
A Personal, Comfortable
and Safe Patient Experience
The design of the new patient rooms reflect input from scores of caregivers, patients, families and community members. We mocked-up rooms, ran countless patient scenarios, analyzed the feedback, and continue to make small adjustments.
The most important focus is patient safety. The design of these rooms helps caregivers provide the best possible support while minimizing the chance for error or incident. We also considered comfort. Patients and their families are an active part of the healthcare team at Martha Jefferson.
We designed a room where the patient can be in a comfortable, healing environment and where families feel welcome to participate.
Finally, our focus was patient privacy. Private rooms are known to lower infection rates, improve communication, promote rest, and dramatically improve the patient/family experience all leading to better clinical outcomes.
Comfortable and Dignified Cancer Care
This illustration highlights a cancer treatment room with a state-of-the-art linear accelerator, capable of delivering radiation therapy in a setting that will be comforting in several ways. Mural walls that reflect the natural surroundings and hide supporting equipment, and furnishings to provide places to rest while technologists prepare equipment, are all designed to keep patients at ease.
Every day, several families in Central Virginia face a new diagnosis of cancer. Whether the patient is a grandparent, parent or child, this news changes the fabric of life. Emotions run high, questions
a comfortable, healing environment and where families feel welcome to participate.
Finally, our focus was patient privacy. Private rooms are known to lower infection rates, improve communication, promote rest, and dramatically improve the patient/family experience all leading to better clinical outcomes.
A Hospital Built into a Hill
Making the most of the natural terrain, minimizing earthmoving, and preserving open green space and natural runoff tendencies were among the priorities set at the outset of the design of the new hospital.
The easy solution when building on a site with an elevation change of more than 100 feet is simple – flatten the land and build on top. The new Martha Jefferson Hospital takes a different
approach. While the building has the institutional presence you would expect considering its size of over half a million square feet, utilizing the hillside lowers its visibility from afar. Even though the building at its highest point will be six stories, at no point will it rise above the height of the existing Outpatient Care Center.
The design also achieves important environmental goals. Two parks, on the high side of the building by the entry circle and in the foreground of the image here, will be preserved and incorporated into the site so visitors and staff can literally connect with nature. The natural ravine delivering rainwater to the Rivanna River will be preserved, and future linkage to the Rivanna Trail will be completed.
Delivering on the promise of one major environmental initiative is already underway, as earthmoving has begun on the site. The benefit is the significant reduction – by more than one million cubic yards – of earthmoving necessary to complete the foundation for the hospital. This means less disruption of the land, less heavy machinery on site, and dramatically fewer dump trucks entering and exiting the property. It’s just the first step in making our new hospital an environmentally sustainable hospital.
