By Sheri Olson, FAIA, Contract Design
Emergency room patients often arrive disoriented, panicked, and frightened. To ease this state of mind, NBBJ integrated crystal-clear planning and natural references to welcome, direct, and calm people at the Swedish Edmonds Ambulatory Care Center in Edmonds, Washington, just north of Seattle. This 77,000-square-foot project provides an addition to Swedish Medical Center Edmonds, a campus of the Swedish Medical Center—the largest nonprofit health provider in the Seattle area— and offers a vast improvement on the labyrinthine corridors and “back door” feel of the existing 1960s-era medical center with which it connects.
The double-height lobby provides views outdoors from a variety of seating arrangements. Photography by Benjamin Benschneider.