UC Davis Health recently marked the opening of the new Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building and the expansion of the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC). Located in Sacramento, Calif., the eye center provides eye care, vision research, and training for specialists and investigators. With the new building, the eye center’s vision scientists can increase capacity for clinical trials by 50%.
Designed by HGA in partnership with San Francisco design firm TEF, the state-of-the-art facility consolidates UC Davis Health Eye Center’s optometry and ophthalmology patient care, clinical research and training, and departmental offices all under one roof. The facility integrates a partial renovation of the existing ACC with a new addition, resulting in a 78,500-sf building.
The biophilic design provides filtered daylighting, critical for sight-impaired patients, as well as patterns and views that connect patients with nature. The building also features nature-toned exterior materials at the base, with a folding clear glass curtain wall above.
With a focus on patients, the design includes wayfinding elements that help reduce patient anxiety and improve health outcomes. All clinic waiting and reception areas are located off of a unified circulation spine that runs the length of the building, which helps with wayfinding. The circulation spine also runs parallel to the exterior landscaped promenade, promoting access to nature.
Other patient-centered components include high-contrast colors and textures throughout the building to improve wayfinding, as well as common spaces with home-like furnishings to comfort patients. Amenities include an optical shop, outdoor terrace, and exterior promenade connected to the parking structure with artwork, wall seating, and lighting.
On the Building Team:
Owner: UC Davis Health
Design architect: HGA, in partnership with TEF
Architect of record: HGA
MEP engineer: Guttmann & Blaevoet
Structural engineer: Buehler Engineering Inc.
General contractor: McCarthy Building Companies
Construction management services: Vanir
Civil engineering: Siegfried Engineering
Landscape architecture: Quadriga
Acoustics consulting: The Acoustics and Vibration Group, Inc.
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 3, 2021
New 9-story outpatient facility planned on Washington University Medical Campus
Lawrence Group and Perkins Eastman are designing the project.
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 27, 2021
Texas Oncology continues to expand its reach
It is replacing and consolidating a number of its cancer care centers.
Contractors | Jul 23, 2021
The aggressive growth of Salas O'Brien, with CEO Darin Anderson
Engineering firm Salas O'Brien has made multiple acquisitions over the past two years to achieve its Be Local Everywhere business model. In this exclusive interview for HorizonTV, BD+C's John Caulfield sits down with the firm's Chairman and CEO, Darin Anderson, to discuss its business model.
Daylighting Designs | Jul 9, 2021
New daylighting diffusers come in three shape options
Solatube introduces its newest technology innovation to its commercial product line, the OptiView Shaping Diffusers.
University Buildings | Jul 1, 2021
Texas A&M University’s new Engineering Medicine program receives a new, unique space
EYP designed the project.
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 29, 2021
New Flagler Health+ Campus breaks ground in Durbin Park
Gresham Smith designed the project.
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 25, 2021
Hospital serving New Hampshire’s largest metro is expanding its ED
A pandemic delay led the design-build team to rethink the addition’s reception, waiting, and triage areas.
![Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]](/sites/default/files/styles/list_big/public/Oceanographer%20John%20Englander%20Talks%20Resiliency%20and%20Buildings%20YT%20new_0.jpg?itok=enJ1TWJ8 "Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]")
Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021
Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]
New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 10, 2021
Abrazo Cave Creek Hospital completes in Cave Creek, Ariz.
E4H Architecture designed the project.
Digital Twin | May 24, 2021
Digital twin’s value propositions for the built environment, explained
Ernst & Young’s white paper makes its cases for the technology’s myriad benefits.
