CO Architects was selected by Palomar Pomerado Health (PPH) to help initiate an innovative and participatory design process to plan for the construction of a replacement facility for Palomar Medical Center.
PPH leadership chose to use an Evidence-Based Design process in which individuals from all departments in the hospital were invited to participate in researching new and emerging ideas in health care design.
Regarded as perhaps the greenest and most advanced hospital ever designed, the 736,000-square-foot Palomar Medical Center West—a 360-bed hospital under construction in northern San Diego County—is infused extensively by natural light and plantings, including a 2.5-acre green roof and public terrace placed atop the surgical wing. The outdoor rooftop garden is accessible to staff and visitors, and is also visible from patient rooms.
The design of the medical center calls for the use of recycled or renewable materials, as well as sustainably harvested timber. The new hospital is also green in that it has been designed to use a minimum amount of water and electricity.
The $500 million Palomar Medical Center West is presently the largest single building under construction in California and is slated for completion in 2011. More information is available at www.coarchitects.com.
