Title: Atrium Health Kenilworth Medical Plazas I & II
Location of Proejct: Charlotte, North Carolina
Project Completion Date: April 2021
Firm Name: The Beck Group

Short Description: As Atrium Health looked to consolidate their outpatient clinics, they wanted a flagship facility that was convenient to the community and offered a calm and inviting feel for patients and staff. With over 400,000sf of new clinics, pharmacy, infusion, and conference spaces; the Kenilworth Medical Plazas were designed to elevate the patient and visitor experience and provide advanced specialty care under one roof. Connected by a multistory glass bridge, the two medical office buildings frame a central valet court with mirroring metal panel and wood bars that juxtapose the precast envelope and provide a clear entry point for visitors.

Architect's Statement: In Charlotte, NC, access to next-generation healthcare is expanding rapidly. For Atrium Health, one of the largest providers in the region, that means developing new models of care for their outpatient clinics. Located near downtown yet away from the hustle and bustle of the main hospital, this state-of-the-art medical office facility anchors itself in the new urban fabric of Midtown and provides patients and their families an inviting place to visit their doctor and pick up prescriptions. The Kenilworth Medical Plaza welcomes visitors with grand lobbies that are open, light and airy contrasting many traditional medical office buildings that include a maze of dark carpeted hallways and suites. Natural light floods each of the 24 clinics in this over 400,000sf facility that is designed around patient wellness and healing.

Traditionally, medical office buildings feel institutional and cold. For the Kenilworth Medical Plaza, the design team created a building that embraced the destination and fed off the urban synergies. The facility features two 5-story buildings that flank the main entrance framing a central valet court located off a less busy street perpendicular to the main thoroughfare into downtown, Kenilworth Avenue. Both buildings feature a fabric of metal paneling and wood that fold into the building translating the inspiration from the Carolina landscape from the exterior into the interior.

The bridge that connects the pavilions benefits the patients and staff by providing easy access between clinics, and also flooding the waiting areas with an abundance of natural light. The exterior glass on the bridge features the Atrium tree of life logo, which offers a clear point of entry for vehicles and pedestrians, but also puts the client’s brand on display in an elegant way. The drop-off, located in front and below the bridge, provides easy access for passengers by allowing them to exit their vehicles directly at each entrance. Family members or patients can easily navigate to the parking garage off the main drive by driving below the glass bridge.

To create a more dynamic experience at the street level, the glass exterior changes as you move around the building. The facility offers a warm welcome with the face of the pavilions featuring a large glass curtain wall that is framed by metal paneling that is cantilevered above the sidewalk. Patients and families are protected from the weather but are also drawn into the main entrance. At night, illuminated fins on the glass façade light up and enhance the main entrance in a subtle way. As you move around the pavilions toward the main artery to downtown Charlotte, the exterior changes to a sophisticated glass and precast system that promotes the Atrium brand as a premier healthcare intuition.

Instead of making the building a single straight bar, the program allowed the building to flex into an angle which in fact allowed the program to expand housing over 250 exam rooms. The angle pulls the building further from the busy street and provides the space to be filled with landscaping. The building was built on a graded site, and the design team utilized it by moving some programmatic elements to the sub-level of the facility. At the bottom of the hill, visitors can access the back of the building for the large auditorium inside. Due to the slope, the auditorium atrium features large floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the pre-function space with light even though it’s one floor below grade.

Throughout the building, the interior responds to the wooded Carolina landscape. The forest canopies, branches, and riverbeds of the landscape are integrated to promote faster recovery, provide a calming grounding effect, lower blood pressure, and increase patient mood. The first floor responds to the riverbed effect by extending walls into the walkway in an oblong fashion. Patients move around the “rocks” and are guided by a water-like pattern in the terrazzo. Wood patterns on the "rock" walls break up the bright white space simplistically and elegantly.

A grand staircase provides patients access to the second floor, promoting a sense of movement. The openness of the staircase allows for the second-floor atrium to be open and light-filled from below. Specialty lighting fixtures placed at seemingly random angles give an organic feel to the ceiling plane and reflect the branches that grow overhead forming the canopy of forest.

Ultimately, the building is designed by putting the patient experience at the forefront. These new medical pavilions elevate the Atrium brand and allow them to concentrate services into one space in the central core of Charlotte. The design is both unique and complementary to its context. As new developments are constructed around this facility its design will function seamlessly in the urban environment.