Kaiser Permanente Announces Winners of "Small Hospital, Big Idea" Contest: Aditazz and M+NLB with Perkins+Will

SAN FRANCISCO, April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Last year, Kaiser Permanente – a non-profit health plan and care provider – announced the "Small Hospital, Big Idea" design competition to find a small hospital design that can overcome challenges of a small market and still meet Kaiser's high standards.  A jury judged more than 108 entries on efficiency, sustainable design features, innovation, life-cycle costs, flexibility and care environment. Aditazz and M+NLB with Perkins+Will emerged with the two winning designs.

As a key player on the Aditazz team, Arup developed the high-performance system concepts that informed the architecture and operational performance of the building.  The cornerstone of their strategy was the creation of a net-zero energy hospital, enabled by an overarching solar canopy that simultaneously shades the entire building and supplies 100% renewable energy from the sun.  The building also harnesses the energy of the earth through the use of GeoExchange in order to significantly reduce energy use.

"By collaborating with our experts across global Arup, we helped to push the envelope on innovation for Kaiser.  This design will allow them to be a welcome new neighbor in the communities they serve, while delivering great healthcare at a good margin," said Bill Scrantom, Americas Region Healthcare Leader, Arup. 

Arup's additional contributions to the winning design include the structural concepts for the building's prefabrication elements, high level building technology platform, and new concepts for redefining the hospital soundscape.

"The entire hospital is designed to create a positive sensory experience, with soundscapes and infrastructure to support art, performance, and media," said Joshua Cushner, San Francisco Practice Leader for Acoustics, Audiovisual and Theatre Consulting, Arup.  "Through thoughtful interventions, we worked with Aditazz to reimagine the sensory experience of patients, visitors and staff and create a more enjoyable space."

Felicia Cleper-Borkovi, AIA, who assembled and orchestrated the Aditazz team, said, "Our success in the KP Small Hospital Competition would not have been possible without the level of trust that exists between the core Aditazz team and our superb network of alliances with experts in fields ranging from sustainable engineering and clinical operations to design methodology and interactive technologies.  Our collaboration with Arup was instrumental in this win."

About Arup

Arup is the creative force at the heart of many of the world's most prominent projects in the built environment industry.  From 92 offices in 37 countries, Arup's more than 10,000 designers, planners, engineers, consultants and technical specialists deliver innovative projects across the world.

The firm was founded in 1946 with an enduring set of values and has a unique trust ownership that fosters a distinctive culture, intellectual independence and collaborative approach.  Opening its first North American office 27 years ago, Arup in the Americas now employs 1,000.  The people at Arup are driven to find a better way to deliver better solutions for their clients.  For more information, visit http://www.arup.com.

SOURCE Arup