Medical Center Opens in Texas

FRISCO, Texas — The Forest Park Medical Center in Frisco, Texas opened to the public after 18 months of construction beginning in January 2011 and ending in June of this year. With a landscape and interior set to mimic a five-star hotel, and TVs every 30 feet interspersed with water features, patients will hardly know they are even in a hospital, according to Dallas-based architecture firm for the project, BOKA Powell LLC.

Together with patient suites, the 150,000-square-foot, four-story facility includes 60,000 square feet of separate medical office space, over 34,000 square feet of retail space and a 600-car parking structure. The hospital features 30 patient rooms, sized at 250 square feet per room; 12 operating rooms; and 14 VIP patient suites, with attached family areas at 375 square feet.

“It does not feel like a hospital when you walk in. When you enter there is a grand staircase that goes up two stories,” said Sean Kirton, project manager and designer with BOKA Powell LLC. “The lighting is really special; there are LED lights with a metal chain that hangs from the [staircase] handrail and the light captures it. It’s like if you walked into a hotel lobby.”

“People come into the hospital just to eat lunch; the dining room is so amazing. You would think you were in a restaurant somewhere that has nothing to do with a hospital,” Kirton added.

The facility is a new representation for health care, where the physicians buy-in to the hospital like shares, and therefore own a portion of the hospital. Physicians don’t take Medicare or Medicaid, making it a private-pay model. The project cost was approximately $60 million.

The ambiance for the hospital was designed after BOKA Powell LLC toured resorts and spas around the country, most notably in Las Vegas.

“The typical Forest Park Medical Center patient has high service expectations, and we wanted our design to respond accordingly,” said Don Powell, principal of BOKA Powell LLC in a statement. “We worked to emulate the richness, drama and lighting quality of what we saw, as our goal was to create a first-class environment where patients can heal most comfortably.”

The building’s exterior incorporated 20th century building details with modern finishes to embody the art deco period that Frisco Square requires in any facilities built.