Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Emergency Department
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Emergency Department
Expanding Capacity, Elevating Care
SITE INTEGRATION
A Building That Connects Campus and Street
Recognizing a need for increased throughput, the medical center sought to expand its emergency department capacity. The new one-story building gently curves along the site in harmony with the main hospital, helping to connect the campus to the street. Between the new department and the existing buildings, a landscaped garden creates outdoor space where staff, patients, and guests can find a moment of respite while on campus.
“So often, patients come to the Emergency Department worried, scared and in pain, and it's our job to not only ensure each patient receives the care they need, but they also receive it in a timely fashion. This new ED places every tool we need to do our jobs at our fingertips. Because of that, the number of patients we're able to care for, as well as patient flow, will greatly improve.”
At 34,946 square feet, the building contains nearly fifty treatment rooms, including exam, trauma, triage, and fast-track spaces. An 8,500-square-foot one-story urgent care was constructed simultaneously across the street, extending the department's design language while giving lower-acuity patients a more cost-effective care option.
OPERATIONAL FLOW
Built Around How Care Actually Happens
Recognizing a need for increased throughput, the medical center sought to expand its emergency department capacity. The new one-story building gently curves along the site in harmony with the main hospital, helping to connect the campus to the street. Between the new department and the existing buildings, a landscaped garden creates outdoor space where staff, patients, and guests can find a moment of respite while on campus.
At 34,946 square feet, the building contains nearly fifty treatment rooms, including exam, trauma, triage, and fast-track spaces. An 8,500-square-foot one-story urgent care was constructed simultaneously across the street, extending the department's design language while giving lower-acuity patients a more cost-effective care option.
CLINICAL DESIGN
A Layout Built to Flex
Four consecutive nurse stations span the central spine of the building, flanked on both sides by patient rooms, imaging, and support spaces. This arrangement enhances visibility for nursing staff and allows the department to expand and contract as patient volume and staffing needs shift throughout the day. Two dedicated units for patients experiencing behavioral health crises provide a private treatment environment, each with space for an attendant and headwalls that can be covered to ensure patient safety.
The front reception area is outfitted with bulletproof glass, providing an added layer of protection at one of the department's most public points of contact. In the event of an active intruder emergency, a systematically linked series of access doors guides staff, patients, and visitors through a coordinated lockdown procedure, leading to a designated safe haven in the back of the building. These protective measures were carefully considered from the earliest stages of design, ensuring that safety and security are built into the department's foundation rather than added as an afterthought. It's a balance that reflects a broader goal of the design: creating an environment where people feel cared for and protected in equal measure, even in the highest-stress moments.
MATERIALS & WAYFINDING
Visibility, Balanced with Privacy
Glass is used liberally throughout the department to reinforce visibility within the curved building. Nurse stations, exam rooms, waiting areas, and corridors feature large glass panels, frosted or textured for privacy while preserving sightlines for staff. Simple, sophisticated finishes balance clean functionality with a sense of calm: environmental art referencing the surrounding hills of Burbank appears in perforated metal, backlit solid surfaces, and wall graphics, while distinct colors and signage create a straightforward wayfinding experience for patients navigating high-anxiety situations.
PROVIDENCE PARTNERSHIP
Smarter Decisions, Built on Data
BA Science's health programming and medical planning team ensured that every decision in this project was grounded in data rather than assumption. Volumes and operations data reshaped the program from the outset, allowing the team to right-size the department for cost alignment while improving performance, and to rethink adjacencies in ways that better support day-to-day care delivery. The result is a department built not around a generic template, but around how this specific team actually works.
That approach is reinforced by deep experience across the Providence system, where familiarity with standards, processes, and expectations allows for a smoother path from planning to opening day. It's a track record of helping owners make smarter decisions, improve operations, and align ambitious projects with real-world budget realities — and this department is a clear expression of that partnership in action.
