www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/7479-new-parkland-hospital

New Parkland Hospital

Raising the Bar: An interplay of volumes that seem to float animates a hospital's immense scale.

Suzanne Stephens
June 16, 2015
New Parkland Hospital

In designing a new, 2 million-square-foot facility for Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, the architect HDR + Corgan confronted significant functional and formal challenges. How do you create a monolithic facility where people don't get lost in a labyrinth of linoleum floors and fluorescent lights? How do you give a hospital a warmer, hotel-like ambience? How do you bring in plenty of daylight, and views out to an abundance of greenery? While meeting these goals is known to aid in healing, they can be hard to accomplish in a huge and complex building type.

The old Parkland Memorial Hospital, built in 1954, is best known as the place where President Kennedy was taken when he was fatally shot on November 22, 1963. Since then, Parkland has grown—it now admits 1 million patients a year—and the new structure is almost twice the size of the jumble of buildings (whose future is still being determined) that made up the old hospital. Across Harry Hines Boulevard from the original complex, the new facility sits amid 26 acres of a former brownfield site, which now also includes a rapid-transit station and a parking garage for the medical complex.

In breaking down the scale of the 18-story, 862-bed hospital—the size of a horizontal skyscraper—the architects looked to other schemes dealing with such bulk. “We were inspired by the way Steven Holl elevated the horizontal bars at the Vanke Center in Shenzhen” (China, 2009), explains Thomas Trenolone, creative director for Parkland from HDR's Omaha office. Allusions to Holl's series of rectangular volumes floating above the ground plane are echoed in the way the new Parkland's stalwart hulk rises above a scrum of service buildings and parking lots. Perpendicular to the main mass is the elongated bar-like wing for Women & Infant's Specialty Health (WISH), raised on columns, which dynamically penetrates a five-story-high square opening in the poured-in-place concrete structure.

Visitors arriving at the hospital find a three-story glass-walled lobby, with the drop-off area framed by the WISH wing bridging the entry drive. In addition, the architects have carved out a garden in front of a ground-floor chapel and dining pavilion on the southeast, where contoured benches of Texas limestone spiral around drought-resistant planting. Elsewhere, slices of nature accent the campus, since, as Jim Henry, HDR's health-care designer in its Dallas office, says, “We wanted to put the park back into Parkland.”

The sleek glass facade, with square flush windows, pays another homage to Holl—this time to Simmons Hall at MIT (RECORD, May 2003, page 204). “Our team tried to be architecturally literate and look at other campuses and urban solutions— not just hospitals,” says Trenolone. (Who knew that Holl's controversial Simmons scheme could be tamed in Texas?)

To cut down on solar gain, HDR + Corgan sheathed the walls in low-iron glass of varying gray tints, covered with a white digitally printed pattern. The wraithlike outlines of trees and attenuated lines of donors' names (anyone who gave $10 or more to the hospital) provide a striking decorative motif. Chuck Armstrong, lead designer of Corgan, claims this is “the largest digitally printed glass building in the world.”

The monumental glazed lobby brings light and views into the entrance area, where blues and yellows on the elevators guide visitors to the various medical floors, including burn, trauma, neonatal, and medical-surgery units. A key part of planning the circulation was to separate the “backstage” functions from the “on-stage” ones: a racetrack corridor loops around the elongated floors for patients and visitors, while an inner core of elevators and shorter halls accommodates staff and equipment. In addition, glassed-in seating alcoves for families and friends are abundant, supplemented by sofas and chairs in the patient rooms (all are single-bed rooms with private baths). To keep the corridors from stretching onward monotonously, the architects angled the walls of the patient rooms where they open into the halls and, by partially glazing them, were able to allow more daylight to penetrate from the exterior windows to the interior.

The bold architectural features—the digitally printed glass, the huge punched-through void, and flush-jointed square windows—definitely make the $1.3 billion building ($690 million for construction) look much more expensive. But as Louis Saksen, senior vice president of new construction for the hospital, explains, the architects and the builders worked closely together to keep the prices down, and stayed assiduously on budget. Collaboration in any hospital project is a given, but here the design teams from HDR and Corgan worked extremely well with each other, the contractors, and the hospital. “We practically lived on-site,” says Trenolone, pointing to a group of rental retail space at the edge of the campus where the offices are temporarily located. “And we brought different things to the scheme: I had experience in urban planning, Jim in hospital design, and Chuck in airport design. There was a good alchemy among us.”

While Parkland is arguably more sedate than its architectural inspirations, it is definitely adventurous for a hospital in the United States. The new Parkland doesn't open until August, but even in its untested state, it seems worlds away from so many overwhelming and depressing health-care complexes.

People

Formal name of building:
New Parkland Hospital

Location:
Dallas, Texas

Completion Date:
Substantial Completion October 31, 2014

Gross square footage:
2,000,421 SF

Total project cost:
$1.271 Billion Overall Budget

Total construction cost:
$690 Million Construction budget for Hospital (GMP)

Client:
Parkland Health and Hospital System

Owner:
Parkland Health and Hospital System

Architect:
HDR+Corgan, a joint venture
17111 Preston Road
Suite 150
Dallas, TX 75248-1232
(972) 960-4000
(972) 960-4185

Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit:
HDR
Hank Adams, AIA, ACHA
-Design Manager

Mike Moran, AIA
-Operational Management

Thomas J. Trenolone, AIA, LEED AP
-Creative Director

James (Jim) Henry, AIA, EDAC
-Healthcare Designer

Kamran Elahi-Shirazi, NCARB
-Project Manager

Heidi Higgason, AIA, LEED AP
-QAQC

Jeff Fahs, RLA
-Site Design Master Plan

Dan Thomas, AIA, EDAC
-Healthcare Planning

Jim Atkinson, AIA, EDAC
-Healthcare Planning

Cyndi McCullough, RN, EDAC
-Healthcare Operations Specialist

Kevin Lynch, IIDA
-Interior Design

Robyn Roelofs, IIDA, LEED ID+C
-Interior Design

Bob Case, PE
-HDR Site Rep

CORGAN
Robert Morris, FAIA
-Executive Council

David Lind, FAIA
-Executive Council

Matt Mooney
-Sr. Project Manager

Chuck Armstrong, FAIA
- Lead Designer

Tina Larsen, AIA, EDAC, LEED AP
-Project Manager/Healthcare Planning

Joe Haver, AIA, LEED AP
-Project Manager, Shell and Core

Lori McGilberry, CHID, IIDA, EDAC
-Lead Interior Designer

Stewart Hempel, AIA
-Corgan On Site Rep

Architect of record:
HDR+Corgan

Associate architect(s):
VAI, Stephens Marks Architects

Interior designer:
HDR+Corgan

Engineers:
Electrical
MEP Consulting Engineers
Adam Nemati 817-590-8211

Civil- Master Civil Engineering and Land Survey
Pacheco Koch Consulting Eng.
James Koch
Carlo A. Andreani 972-235-3031

Civil ' Underground Utilities, Retaining walls, Tunnel Design
APM & Associates
Afisu Olabimtan 214-784-4888

Mechanical and plumbing
HDR

Medical Gas and Plumbing
IDA Engineers
Jeff Jafazade 972-991-1927

Lighting
HDR

Structural
AG&E Associates, PLLC, prime structural design
Structural Design was completed by AG&E in association with associate structural engineer, Datum Gojer, LLC.
Sanjay Agrawal
Stephen Price
214-520-7202

Consultant(s):
Landscape:
Ten Eyck/ Studio Outside
Christine Ten Eyck 214-871-0568

Lighting:
HDR

Acoustical:
DP(A)Acoustic
DP Ayyappan 972-644-2130

Other:
Food Service Consulting
Worrell Design Group
Rodney Worrell 713.784.0290

Information Technology
TEECOM / WAIWIZE
Mike Candler 214-930-0904

Medical Equipment
GBA
Josh Tenisci 682-587-1069

Signage and Wayfinding
Focus EGD/ Mitchell Associates
Todd Hardin 214-661-6976

ADA Consulting
Accessology
Kristi Thomas 972 434 0068

Civil- Site Grading/ Drainage
ARS Engineers
Brian McDaniel 214 739 3152

Civil- Site Grading/ Drainage
EJES Incorporated
Edwin Jones
214 343 1210

Code Consulting
Winston Services
Cherryl Peterman
817 496 9396

Fire Protection and Life Safety Consulting
RJA, Rolf Jensen & Associates
Michelle Gebhart
469-443-7200
Fire Protection Plumbing
Campos

Building Envelope and Curtain Wall
McFarquhar Group
Dudley McFarquhar
214 957 3768

Roof Consulting
Rooftech
Michael Christopher
817-496-4631

Door Hardware Consulting
ASSA Abloy Door Security Solutions
Katie Flower 816 223 6030

Electrical/ Low Voltage Engineering
Teliosity
Dakota Kelley
214 280 3825

Waterproofing Consultant
Conley Group
Bill Conley 972 444 7020

Design Bridge to Old Parkland
Moody Nolan
Scott Miller
614-280-8881

Design of the Parking Garage
Omniplan
Phillip Loyd Jones
214-826-7080

Commissioning
CCRD
Bruce Kester
512-697-8755

IT
TEECOM
Mike Candler
214-930-0904

Medical Equipment
GBA
Suzan Logan
615-376-3100

Signage / Wayfinding
Focus
EGD
Chris Bauer
214-661-6976

General contractor:
BARA is quad venture comprised of Balfour Beatty, Austin Commercial, H J Russell and Azteca Enterprises.

Balfour Beatty
Pleas Mitchell 214-437-9684

Austin Commercial
David Graham 972-977-7539

HJ Russell
Mimi Johnson 214-942-5440

Azteca Enterprise
Luis Spinola 214-905-0612

Photographer(s):
Andrew Pogue, (206) 384-2866
Architect: HDR + Corgan ' 2014 Andrew Pogue

Assassi Productions, 805.895.7703
Architect: HDR + Corgan ' 2014 Assassi Productions

Construction Cost:

$690 million

Project Cost:

$1.3 billion

Completion date:

November 2014

  

Products

Structural system
Concrete structure

Exterior cladding
Masonry: ROC Construction

Metal Panels: Morin

Metal/glass curtain wall: Glass ' Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope

Rainscreen: ACM - Alpolic

Moisture barrier: Tremco

Curtain wall: Kawneer

Other cladding unique to this project: All-Glass Fa'ade ' Pilkington

Stone ' Texas Quarries

Skylight - Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope

Roofing
Other: Modified bitumen membrane roofing.
Manufacturer: Soprema
Glenn Bestor
800-356-3521

Glazing
Glass:
Kyle Jones, 214.475.3417

Skylights: Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope

Other:
Stone ' Larry Clements, 817.269.9997
Metal Panel ' Danielle Jarecki, 940.321.4159
Aluminum Composite Panel ' Tom Ratway, 757.286.0301
Headwaters ' Brad Bearden, 888.202.9272

Doors
Entrances: Kawneer

Wood doors: Maiman Wood Doors 972-254-4201 Clay LaGrone

Fire-control doors, security grilles: McKeon Door Company 631-803-3000

Hardware
Locksets: ASSA ABLOY

Closers: ASSA ABLOY

Exit devices: ASSA ABLOY

Pulls: ASSA ABLOY

Interior finishes
BUILDING PRODUCTS
Trenwyth
NO CONTACT
1-800-233-1924
Glazed Concrete Masonry Units Basement, Inmate Unit

StoneTec
Rupy Shah
972.278.4477
Natural Stone Installer
Atrium Concourse

Acme Brick
Jason Hamilton
214-586-4654
jhamilton@brick.com
Natural Stone

Vermont Structural Slate
802-265-4933
Natural Stone

Accurate
Jason Posey
423.296.9000
Toilet Partitions

Mechoshade
Kathy Macasa
917-658-3202
kathym@mechoshade.com
Window Shading

Maiman/Coveright
417-862-0681
salse@maiman.com
Thermal Wrapped Doors
Doors Throughout

C/S Acrovyn
Cindy Jones
214-668-6388
cindyjones@txspecialties.com
Doors
Operating Rooms
Padded Wall Cladding
Padded Isolation Rooms
Inmate and Psych

Howard McKinney, Inc.
Pecan Sculpted Panels
Atrium Concourse desks

Penco
800.562.1000

Acoustics
Decoustics
Mark McLain
972-381-9100
mclain@designed-performance.com
Fabric Wrapped Acoustical Wall Panels Chapel, Meditation

Source One
Curtis Medford
469-688-1103
c.medford@tri-kes.com
Acoustical Wall Covering
Reading Rooms

ASGI
Wood Acoustical Panels
Meditation

TEXTILES
Carnegie
Lisa McGovern
214-207-0926
lmcgovern@trio-resources.com
Draperies
Chapel

Momentum
Terry Willis
469-337-6509
twillis@momtex.com
Upholstery
Dining Banquettes

CF Stinson
Joey Truitt
817-832-7483
joey@group-4.net
Upholstery
Dining Banquettes

Architex
Chuck Hogan
817-751-4037
chuckhogan@architex-ljh.com
Privacy Curtain Surgery, Women's Triage, ED, Labor and Delivery

Maharam
Teri Ryba
214-205-5284
tryba@maharam.com
Privacy Curtain NNICU

DEMOUNTABLE PARTITIONS
Modernfold
Craig Cowsert
214-542-5284
craigc@mdsdfw.com
Paired Panel Partitions, Demountable Partitions
Classrooms, Chapel

GLASS AND ACRYLIC PANELS
Skyline Design
Denise Alvera
312-560-0398
denise.a@skydesign.com
Graphic Glass
Kid's Play Area in Burn Unit, Elevator Lobbies

Pulp Studio
Lisa Bell
214-7839393
lisa@specreps.com
Graphic Glass Elevator Lobbies

Goldray
Gloria Johnson
glojohn6102@gmail.com
403-236-1333
Backpainted glass
Atrium Concourse stone wall accents

Forms & Surfaces
Shawn Vaught
678-644-8702
shawn.vaught@forms-surfaces.com
Graphic Glass
Elevator Lobbies

Clarus Glassboards
Joey Truitt
817-832-7483
joey@group-4.net
Graphic Markerboard Glass
Patient Room Footwalls

3Form
Ginger Cruikshank
214-802-7252
ginger.cruikshank@3-form.com
Acrylic Panels
Backlit walls in Dining, Gift Shop, and Chapel.

Floor and Wall Tiles
Atlas Concorde
Phillip Chumley
903-452-0004
pchumley@stonesource.com
Tile
Kitchen, Public Toilets

Alys Edwards Distributed by Classic Stone Distributors
NO CONTACT
714-917-6420
Glass Tile
Public Toilets

Walker Zanger
Jill Muggleston
214-226-7644
jmuggleston@walkerzanger.com
Glass Tile
Dining Hall, Servery

Daltile
Kelly Ryan
214-534-0003
kelly.ryan@daltile.com
Glass Tile
Drinking Fountains

Horizon Tile
Amanda Duda
214-741-4447
amandad@horizontile.com
Tile
Dining Hall, Servery

Interceramic
George Gibson
469-500-3320
ggibson@interceramic.com
Glass Tile, Ceramic Tile
Patient Toilet rooms, housekeeping

Crossville
JoAnn Duarte
214-557-5729
jduarte@crossvilleinc.com
Tile
Patient and Staff Toilet rooms, Drinking Fountains

Thesize
Zuzana Long
469-566-1903
zuzana@hollandmarble.com
Thin Porcelain Slabs
Public corridors on main level

CEILINGS
Armstrong
Lee Baggett
972-841-1749
vlbaggett@armstrong.com
Ceiling Tile and Suspension Grid
Levels 4-9, 12-17

USG
Gary Yancey
214-212-2549
gyancy@usg.com
Ceiling Tile and Suspension Grid
Levels 0-4

Simplex
Mark McLain
972-381-9100
mclain@designed-performance.com
Metal Acoustical Ceiling Systems
Atrium Concourse, Public Lobbies, Dining, Elevator Lobbies.

Belbien
David Groff
919.215.9834
Architectural Film
Atrium Concourse, Public Lobbies, Dining, Elevator Lobbies.

FLOORS
Teknoflor
Simon Harries
972-741-5672
simonh@sbcglobal.net
Sheet Vinyl
Patient rooms

Nora
Sherlie Battiato
512-529-0561
sherlie.battiato@nora.com
Rubber Tile and Sheet Rubber
Throughout hospital

Roppe
Rayelynne Wells
972-877-6258
rayelynne.wells@professionalflooring.com
Rubber Wall Base
Throughout hospital

Flexco
Marty Ureda
903-388-6718
mureda@flexcofloors.com
Integral Rubber Base
Isolation Patient Rooms

Chilewich
Cheryl Zreet
214-893-0857
cherylzreet@sbcglobal.net
Woven Vinyl
Chapel and Meditation

Elite-xpressions
Stainless steel base
Public Lobbies, Dining

Terrazzo
Andreola Terrazzo and Restoration, Inc.
972-487-1919
Terrazzo
Atrium Concourse, Public Lobbies, Dining, Emergency Department, Public Toilets

EnviroGLAS
972-276-9451
Terrazzo glass and mother of pearl chips
Atrium Concourse, Public Lobbies, Dining, Emergency Department, Public Toilets

Dudick
David Dudick
330-814-5479
Resinous Floors Operating Rooms, Trauma

Stonhard
Jason Maciula
214-680-2468
jmaciula@stonhard.com
Resinous Floors, Basement, Housekeeping, Chute Rooms, Elevator Lobby on Helipad, Water Treatment Rooms, Morgue

Mannington Commercial
Ann Olberding
214-394-0390
ann_olberding@mannington.com
Carpet Offices, Conference Rooms and Classrooms

CASEWORK AND PANELING
Trespa-Athalon
Jim Stroud
817-7737189
j.stroud@trespa.com
Panels in Fry Reglet Graph System
Elevator Lobbies

Nevamar
Diana Hall
214-789-2998
diana_hall@panolam.com
Panels in Fry Reglet Graph System
Elevator Lobbies

Sherwin Williams
Brett Huckelbury
214-728-6696
bchuckelbury@sherwin.com
Paint and Stains
Throughout

Formica
Carrie Wheeless
214-542-5645
carrie.wheeless@formica.com
Plastic laminate
Casework and Doors throughout

Wilsonart
Missy Walker
214-634-2310
walkerm3@wilsonart.com
Plastic laminate
Casework and Doors in WISH (Women's Infant's Specialty Hospital)

Pionite
Diana Hall
214-789-2998
diana_hall@panolam.com
Plastic laminate countertops
Laminate counters in workrooms

Corian
Tim Wright
817-456-3469
tim.j.wright@dupont.com
Solid Surface

Hanstone
Ilknur Ozgur
512-994-8832
iozgur@bpiteam.com
Quartz Surface
Toilet Rooms

Caesarstone
Leslie Greenblatt
972-249-5077
leslie.greenblatt@caesarstoneus.com
Quartz Surface
Public spaces millwork

Panel Specialists, Inc. (PSi)
(800) 947-9422
Casework, Custom Millwork
Levels 5-9, 12-17

Howard McKinney, Inc
903-593-3651
Casework, Custom Millwork
Levels 0-4

McNichols Co.
1.877.884.4653
Perforated Metal at Tackboards Throughout

Forbo Bulletin Board
570-459-0771
Tack Surface
Throughout

WALL PROTECTION
InPro Corporation
Jason Haggard
817-223-0496
jhaggard@inprocorp.com
Shower curtains
Showers

C/S Acrovyn
Cindy Jones
214-668-6388
cindyjones@txspecialties.com
Wall protection, Operating Room doors, entrance systems, expansion joints
Throughout

SpecTrim
Ginger Grant
214-704-7947
ginger@gingergrantgroup
Wall protection panel system
ED Waiting

Lighting
Interior ambient lighting:
Architectural Lighting Works ' Lev Skolnik (The Lighting Alliance) - (972) 456-9800 ext: 8865
Winona Lighting ' Lev Skolnik (The Lighting Alliance) - (972) 456-9800 ext: 8865
Focal Point ' John Rice (Hossley Lighting Associates) ' (214) 413-7012
Kenall ' John Rice (Hossley Lighting Associates) ' (214) 413-7012
Ledalite ' Randall Scott (Architectural Lighting Associates) ' (214) 658-9011
Columbia Lighting ' John Rice (Hossley Lighting Associates) ' (214) 413-7012
Color Kinetics ' Randall Scott (Architectural Lighting Associates) ' (214) 658-9011

Downlights:
Gotham Lighting ' Lev Skolnik (The Lighting Alliance) - (972) 456-9800 ext: 8865
Philips Omega ' Randall Scott (Architectural Lighting Associates) ' (214) 658-9011

Task lighting:
Lithonia Lighting ' Lev Skolnik (The Lighting Alliance) - (972) 456-9800 ext: 8865
Kenall ' John Rice (Hossley Lighting Associates) ' (214) 413-7012

Exterior:
Axis Lighting ' Randall Scott (Architectural Lighting Associates) ' (214) 658-9011
Bega ' Randall Scott (Architectural Lighting Associates) ' (214) 658-9011
DesignPlan ' Lev Skolnik (The Lighting Alliance) - (972) 456-9800 ext: 8865
Hess ' Randall Scott (Architectural Lighting Associates) ' (214) 658-9011
Kim Lighting ' John Rice (Hossley Lighting Associates) ' (214) 413-7012
Color Kinetics ' Randall Scott (Architectural Lighting Associates) ' (214) 658-9011

Dimming System or other lighting controls:
Wattstopper Digital Lighting Management (DLM)
Doug Klein (Edwin Jones Company) ' (214)-361-4015

Conveyance
Elevators/Escalators: Thyssen-krupp
Tube system: SWISSLOG
Trash and linen chutes: TransVac

Plumbing
Plumbing Fixtures:
Contractor: CHP
Contact: Mike Klomps 972-395-6000
EWC (Electric Water Coolers): Halsey Taylor
Lavatories: American Standard
Showers: Symmons
Sinks: Chicago
Water Closets: American Standards

Energy
Energy management or building automation system: Siemens, Ronny Fitzgerald 972-550-8488
 
Stephens

Suzanne Stephens, a former deputy editor of Architectural Record, has been a writer, editor, and critic in the field of architecture for several decades. She has a Ph.D. in architectural history from Cornell University, and teaches a seminar in the history of architectural criticism in the architecture program of Barnard and Columbia colleges.