The expansion includes a new design and layout for the hospital, with new equipment to promote better patient flow and access, as well as includes an open and spacious refurbished lobby. To appeal to children and families, a children’s play area was installed as well. Additionally, the triage and help desk were redesigned to increase visibility of staff for incoming patients and families.

Three rapid assessment zone bays – where ambulances drop patients off – were added in an effort to promote the quick and easy transfer of patients arriving by ambulance. In the short time these new zones have been in use, there has already been a significant reduction in ambulance waiting times, according to Hospital General Manager Shelley Hancock, who was also on site at the open ceremony.

In a similar effort, four new treatment chairs to service waiting room care and promote early assessment and care for walk-in patients and ambulance arrivals were added during the expansion. “The changes to the emergency department (ED) mean more patients will hopefully wait less time to be seen,” said Hancock in a recent statement.

The Shoalhaven region has experienced a growing demand for health services in recent years, according to South Coast Parliament Member Gareth Ward, who attended the hospital’s opening ceremony. “We have seen an increase on the number of sicker patients presenting to the hospital particularly over the past 12 months. That is why we pushed for this development to build up some capacity and improve performance,” Ward said. “The transformation of the ED and the revamp of a number of the hospital’s facilities will help to improve the flow of patients through this very busy area.”

The new hospital expansion is described as a “welcoming environment,” according to Hancock, and is part of a $5 million overall hospital improvement project, which included the addition of the Shoalhaven Cancer Care Centre in 2013 as well as plans for a new parking lot on campus.

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The new firm will be known as HMC+Substance Design and will operate from its existing studio in downtown Phoenix.

Earlier this year, HMC Architects merged with San Francisco-based Beverly Prior Architects, forming HMC+Beverly Prior Architects.

The Consortium’s founding principals Donna Barry and Jose Pombo will join HMC’s corporate leadership with Barry serving as design principal and Pombo as associate principal, senior project manager.

Randy Peterson, president and CEO of HMC Architects, said that having started his career in Phoenix in 1983, the merger reflects the spirit of homecoming for him.

“By joining forces with Substance Design, we are gaining the talent and resources of an emerging design firm who shares the same commitment to client service that we value so much at HMC,” he said. “Donna brings a passion for design that is consistent with our firm’s culture. I look forward to her being a key leader in our continued growth in Arizona.”

Substance Design Consortium will merge with HMC’s existing Tempe, Arizona office, led by Principal-in-Charge Erik Hanson and Design Principal David De Valeria. Hanson will continue to manage the combined downtown Phoenix studio.

“The new partnership is mutually beneficial,” Hanson said. “By combining our employees, we’re gaining new perspectives and a great energy that will inform our clients and projects moving forward.”

With the merger, Substance Design Consortium can offer clients planning, architecture, and interior design services in new markets, including healthcare, justice, commercial and civic design.

Notable projects by Substance Design Consortium include the iconic Hayden Flour Mill in Tempe, Ariz., Phoenix Theatre Mainstage, and the Glendale Community College Public Safety Science facility.

“We believe this will open possibilities to us that are increasingly reserved for larger local and national firms and we look forward to successfully competing head to head with the biggest and best in our market,” Barry said.

Barry and Pombo founded Substance Design Consortium in 2007 and have focused their practice on creating high-performance architectural solutions that maximize program requirements while responding to the natural environment.

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