The University of Connecticut's Health Center (UCHC) has hired Fletcher Thompson and its partner architectural firm, Tsoi/Kobus & Associates, to design a new eight-story 300,000 s/f Ambulatory Care Center (ACC) with a 1,250-car parking garage, scheduled for completion in 2014. As the focal point of a growing ambulatory care campus, this new facility will greatly enhance the UCHC's environment of care and their efficient delivery of outpatient services. The multi-specialty ACC will include outpatient clinical functions such as, internal medicine, geriatrics, neurology, surgery, otolaryngology, urology, neurosurgery, physical therapy, diagnostic imaging, in-vitro fertilization, the cancer center, and an orthodontic clinic, among many others. "The new building is being designed to offer the best possible patient care experience in a very attractive and comfortable setting while also providing more convenient access to many outpatient services without entering the main hospital complex," said Fletcher Thompson principal and director of healthcare architecture, Kurt Baur, AIA, ACHA.
The ACC is an integral component of Bioscience Connecticut, an initiative championed by governor Dannel Malloy and approved by the Connecticut General Assembly.
The UCHC's Farmington campus presents unique site challenges, given the project's rapid pace, to which the teams have responded creatively. A 50-foot hill and adjacent wetlands impose constraints for the building's orientation and daylighting opportunities, but contribute to the campus's overall dynamism of scale. The goal is to establish a sense of place through thoughtfully situated public parks, gardens and roof decks, encouraging respite and healing. Tsoi/Kobus & Associates principal Jocelyn Frederick, AIA, ACHA, EDAC, LEED BD+C, said, "The new Ambulatory Care Center will anchor the lower campus. We recognize the need to provide clear pedestrian access and pathways between the upper and lower campus and look forward to creating appealing linkages for faculty, students, staff and visitors."