MURRIETA, Calif. – Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego (RCHSD) celebrated the unveiling of its new outpatient pediatric center on August 11 with a grand opening event open to the public.

Stantec Architecture of Irvine, Calif., and McCarthy Building Companies of San Diego partnered to deliver a three-story, 62,500-square-foot building to offer a total of 15 specialty clinics under one roof. The pediatric services include primary care, subspecialty care, developmental services and specialized programs for children on the autism spectrum.

The building is an extension of the main campus and incorporates some elements into the new facility that resemble the main campus, with features including a clock tower, a palm tree-lined entryway and an arching façade.

The project features other outdoor clinical spaces at the stepped terraces. The main interior staircase within the clock tower is glazed full height for patient and visitor safety and internally lit by colorful light fixtures.

The building was themed as the “Dream Center” and includes artwork and design elements featuring hot-air balloons that frequently mark the Murrieta skyline. The building is expected to achieve LEED Certification though design features such as green interior finishes, water use reduction through plumbing fixtures and landscaping, optimized energy performance, and proximity to public transportation. The facility is also outfitted to accept future telemedicine systems to allow staff and physicians to collaborate with Rady’s Main Campus.

RCHSD also has the specialized play equipment, staff, and room features to perform clinical studies and observation of their autistic children. Included in the program is a licensed Toddler Inclusionary Pre-School, which integrates children on the autism spectrum into a typical classroom and playground setting.

Joanne McAllister, principal-in-charge at Stantec Architecture, AIA, said that when the project was initially discussed between Rady Children’s and the community, they discovered that many of their patients were travelling over an hour to receive the specialty services at the main campus including those in the autism program.

“Since the project was somewhat remote to the larger cities and due to the increase in construction activity in general, it was difficult to meet the subcontractor bid requirements for the project,” said McAllister. “Fortunately, many subs had longstanding relationships with the contractor and hospital and we were able to get the quality and commitment from them.”

McAllister continued, stating that many community members attending the building opening mentioned that having those specialty services available close by created a noticeable convenience for patients and their families.

“I am so grateful and honored to work with an organization focused on the research and innovation that helps children and their families when they are at a time of their greatest need, and now within their own community,” McAllister concluded.

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The facility was constructed by Clark/McCarthy Healthcare Partners (CMHP) — a joint venture of the two national firms, Clark Construction Group LLC and McCarthy Building Companies Inc. — in partnership with local companies Landis Construction and Woodward Design+Build. The project’s lead architect was Studio NOVA, a joint venture between San Francisco-based NBBJ and locally based Eskew+Dumez+Ripple and Rozas Ward Architects.

Part of an expanding medical district, the facility is located on a 34-acre campus adjacent to the new University Medical Center New Orleans, Louisiana State University Health Science Center and Tulane Medical Center. The veterans medical center alone makes up a unified nine-building campus that includes the restored Pan-American Life building, which serves as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) administration building as well as a new diagnostic and treatment building, inpatient building, outpatient building, transitional living facility, central energy plant, patient parking garage and staff parking garage. Later this year, the CMHP team will complete construction of the ninth building, a new research building being constructed as part of the historic Dixie Brewery building.

The complex is organized around a central concourse that links atriums opening into large program blocks subdivided into smaller buildings, according to a statement. These are separated by green courtyards designed to have the same look and feel of the French Quarter. In total, the veterans medical center houses 200 inpatient beds, 370 outpatient exam rooms, 21 procedural suites, eight operating rooms, adulatory clinics, emergency and imaging departments mental health services, patient education facilities and outpatient rehabilitation services. It also features smart classrooms and conference rooms that are updated with the latest technologies such as integrated cameras in the operating rooms and robotic surgery.

To prevent future natural disasters from affecting the facility, it is designed to remain fully operational during a major storm and contains enough provisions and accommodations for up to 1,000 staff and patients for five days, according to a statement. Plus, critical health care functions are located at least 21 feet above the base flood elevation. The campus also includes an emergency transport heliport and boat dock.

“Our team applied lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina to create a resilient hospital infrastructure with an efficient, patient-centered design that will serve up to 70,000 veterans from throughout the region,” said Steve Maslen, project executive of CMHP, in a statement.

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