-By Holly Richmond, Photography by Cesar Rubio

You could say the residents of Santa Clara County, Calif., have been patiently waiting for Part II of their remarkable, and therefore noteworthy, community-based healthcare model to be delivered. Eleven years after San Francisco-based Anshen+Allen completed the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose—the community's public hospital—the design firm has unveiled the second major phase of the development. Sited adjacent to the hospital, the Valley Specialty Center (VSC) is a multispecialty care facility that advances the mission of bringing cost-effective, high-quality care to all patients regardless of their ability to pay.

"Our goal is patient-centered care, not system-centered care," states Robin Roche, executive director of VSC. "The team at Anshen+Allen got it once again. This facility is an architectural representation of the partnership between the staff, caregivers, community, and most of all patients." At 245,000 sq. ft. and six stories, the VSC is a symbolic gateway to San Jose's healthcare campus, signifying not only the existence of new services including outpatient clinics, procedure areas, diagnostic areas, and physician's offices, but also the presence of a front door to wellness.

Peter Schlosser, Anshen+Allen's design principal and principal-in-charge, notes that the "gateway concept" was critical to the design plan and programming. The L-shaped building has dual frontages, with a primary façade addressing the campus plaza and a secondary face addressing the corner of two heavily trafficked thoroughfares. "The building needed to pin itself architecturally to the streetscape and also be anchored as a point on campus that is part of the whole. Therefore, the gateway was visual, physical, and theoretical, expressing an inviting presence to the patients and their families that are welcomed here."

The facility is organized around a clinical module that forms the basic planning for development of the overall spatial build-out of the interior and the rhythm and ordering system of the exterior design. The outpatient clinics occupy the majority of space at the center of each wing, and consist of exam rooms, nursing stations, support spaces, and physician offices. The corner and ends of the floor plate are zoned for the placement of specialty clinics and laboratories, as well as elevator and stair cores. "The building is a machine in a sense," says Schlosser. "We started from the inside out to develop the most efficient delivery of clinical healthcare services possible." He explains that the design is essentially a layering of spaces from the most public to the most private, with corners of the building linking the various clinics and departments.

Because of the building's expansive scale and relatively narrow (90-ft.-wide) L-shaped design, wayfinding was a critical consideration. As such, placing public spaces on the outside of the L, facing the campus, orient visitors by creating views of significant identifiable exterior spaces and vistas. According to Schlosser, this approach is consistent with the design of the main hospital, which reinforces a campus-wide strategy for wayfinding. "The intention for VSC was to be equivalent in architectural presence but not overshadow the main hospital," he says. "On the interior, our goal was to create a space that was less hospital and more home, while utilizing a similar rich, warm palette of materials and colors."

From Roche's perspective, VSC is an architectural model of efficiency and ease. He explains that if utilizing an old model of care, patients would need to be seen by a physician, then return for diagnostic testing, come back yet again for a referral, and finally once again for treatment. "It's all together now," he says. "I can't tell you how many times patients remark on the efficiency of the facility. They can often get done in one visit what once took three or four, which makes their lives that much easier."

Similar to the interior, the building's exterior builds on the design language established by the main hospital. The exterior materials include precast concrete panels, aluminum curtainwall, and aluminum panel cladding, which create a synchronicity between the main hospital and new facility. Glass curtainwalls are used in the building's public space frontages, including the two-story entry colonnade, main entry canopy, and vestibule in a 3-D collage of metal and glass, which establishes a sense of constant light and openness. Schlosser remarks, "The quality of the daylight was key. We wanted access to the building's services to be intuitive for patients, so there is always a sense of the external world."

While Santa Clara County's residents are thrilled with the VSC, they have even more to be thankful for. Anshen+Allen also designed three external medical office buildings located in Gilroy, Milpitas, and Sunnyvale. As with the VSC, the design of these buildings follows a clinic module—functionally, they all operate similarly. "If patients can receive necessary services at these offices, which may be closer to home, it's another step toward the goal of efficient care. We help make patients successful," Roche concludes.

Schlosser concurs, stating, "The design of all phases of this project has always been based on putting patients first. There is continuity and integration at every level—it's firing on all cylinders."


who
Project: Valley Specialty Center. Client: Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System. Architect, interior designer: Anshen+Allen. Associate Architect: Anderson BrulÈ Architects. Structural engineer: Rutherford & Chekene. Mechanical engineer: Guttman & Blaevoet. Electrical engineer: The Engineering Enterprise. Security: TEECOM Design Group. General contractor: McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Construction manager: Turner Construction Company. Lighting designer: Janet Nolan. Acoustician: Rose Goldberg Der & Lewiz, Inc
Furniture dealer: Sidemark, Pivot. Photographer: Cesar Rubio

what
Wallcoverings: Carnegie Xorel. Paint: Sherwin-Williams. Laminate: Pionite Melcore.
Dry wall: USG. Flooring: Armstrong, Corradini Terrazzo. Carpet/carpet tile: The Mohawk Group. Ceiling: Armstrong, Rulon. Lighting: Peerless, Poulsen, InSight. Doors: Local. Door hardware: Schlage. Glass: Local. Window frames: Wilson. Window treatments: MechoShade. Railings: Custom, Olson Steel. Exam room seating: Brayton. Exam room casegoods: Midmark. Nurse station and registration areas systems furniture: Herman Miller. Lounge seating, coffee and side tables: Nemschoff. Office seating: Sidemark/All Steel. Upholstery: Designtex, Knoll. Conference tables: Teknion. Files and shelving: Teknion, Herman Miller. Woodworking and cabinetmaking: Local. Accessories: Peter Pepper. Signage: Custom, Vomar. Elevators: Kone. HVAC: Superior Water & Air. Fire safety: Trans-Bay. Building management system: Siemens. Plumbing fixtures: Kohler.

where
Location: San Jose, CA. Total floor area: 245,000 sq. ft. No. of floors: 6. Average floor size: 40,000. Total staff size: 500. Cost/sq. ft.: $400.

who
Project: Valley Health Center, Gilroy. Client: Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System. Architect, interior designer: Anshen+Allen. Structural engineer: Rutherford & Chekene. Mechanical engineer: Guttmann & Blaevoet. Electrical engineer: The Engineer Enterprise. Security: TEECOM Design Group. General contractor: Swinerton Builders. Construction manager: URS Corporation. Lighting designer: The Engineer Enterprise. Acoustician: Rose Goldberg Der & Lewiz, Inc. Furniture dealer: Sidemark, Pivot. Photographer: Cesar Rubio.

what
Wallcoverings: Carnegie/ Xorel. Paint: Sherwin-Williams. Laminate: Wilson Art, Abet Laminati, Formica. Dry wall: USG. Flooring:     Armstrong, American Terrazzo Company. Carpet/carpet tile: Mohawk. Carpet fiber: Fortis Nylon Type 6.6. Carpet backing: Composite. Ceiling: Armstrong. Lighting: Louis Poulsen, Lightolier, Pearless. Doors: Steelcraft, VT Industries. Door hardware: Bommer, Pemko, Dorma, Ives, Schlage. Glass: Pilkington, Schott Dichroic Glass. Window frames: Raco Interior Products. Window treatments: Levolor. Railings: Custom. Exam room seating:    Brayton International. Exam room casegoods, Nurse station and registration areas systems furniture: Herman Miller. Exam room lighting: Focal Point. Lounge seating: Brayton International, Nemschoff. Other seating: Tekinion, Brayton. Upholstery: Arc-Com, Maharam, Carnegie. Conference tables: Teknion. Coffee and side tables: Nemschoff. Files and shelving: Teknion, Herman Miller. Woodworking and cabinetmaking: Midmark, Northwestern Design Inc. Accessories: Claridge/Series9., Bobrick, Koala Corp, Rubber Maid. Signage: Custom, Vomar. Elevators: Otis Elevator Company. HVAC: Custom, Critchfield Mechanical. Fire safety: Custom – Transbay Fireprotection Inc. Security:Custom,  Redwood City Electric. Building management system: Yamas. Plumbing fixtures: American Standard, Just, Haws.  

where
Location: Gilroy, Calif. Total floor area: 59,000 sq. ft. No. of floors: 2. Average floor size: 29,500 sq. ft. Total staff size: 54Cost/sq. ft.: $588.

who
Project: Valley Health Center, Sunnyvale. Client: Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System. Architect, interior designer: Anshen+Allen. Structural engineer: Rutherford & Chekene. Mechanical engineer: Guttmann & Blaevoet. Electrical engineer: The Engineer Enterprise. Security: TEECOM Design Group. General contractor: Swinerton Builders. Construction manager: URS Corporation. Lighting designer: The Engineer Enterprise. Acoustician: Rose Goldberg Der & Lewiz, Inc. Furniture dealer: Sidemark, Pivot. Photographer: Cesar Rubio.

what
Wallcoverings: Carnegie/ Xorel. Paint: Sherwin-Williams. Laminate: WilsonArt, Abet Laminati, Formica. Dry wall: USG. Flooring: Armstrong,American Terrazzo Company. Carpet/carpet tile: The Mohawk Company. Carpet fiber: Fortis Nylon Type 6.6. Carpet backing: Composite foundation. Ceiling: Armstrong, Lighting: Louis Poulsen, Lightolier, Pearless. Doors: Steelcraft; VT Industries. Door hardware:Bommer, Pemko, Dorma, Ives, Schlage. Glass: Pilkington; Schott Dichroic Glass. Window frames: Raco Interior Products.Window treatments: Levolor. Railings: Custom – Olson Steel. Exam room seating: Brayton International. Exam room casegoods, nurse station and registration areas systems furniture: Herman Miller. Exam room lighting: Focal Point. Lounge seating: Brayton International, Nemschoff. Other seating: Tekinion, Brayton. Upholstery: Arc-Com, Maharam, Carnegie. Conference tables: Teknion. Coffee and side tables: Nemschoff. Files and shelving: Teknion, Herman Miller. Woodworking and cabinetmaking: Midmark, Northwestern Design Inc. Accessories: Claridge/Series9, Bobrick, Koala Corp, Rubber Maid. Signage: Custom – Vomar. Elevators: Otis Elevator Company.  HVAC: Custom – Critchfield Mechanical. Fire safety: Custom – Transbay Fireprotection Inc. Security: Custom – Redwood City Electric. Building management system: Yamas Plumbing fixtures: American Standard, Just, Haws.

where
Location: Sunnyvale, CA. Total floor area: 45,000 sq. ft. No. of floors: 3. Average floor size:15,000 sq. ft. Total staff size: 53. Cost/sq. ft.: $622.