Patient Care and Comfort Drove Gensler’s Design at This Medical Center

Patients at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS)’s new orthopedic outpatient center in Paramus, New Jersey, often arrive in pain. They suffer from hip injuries, torn ligaments, broken ankles, and other conditions that limit mobility. Gensler New York kept this context top of mind when conceiving the two-story, 30,000-square-foot facility. “People come in very stressed out. It’s a challenge just to get here,” senior associate and design director Ju Hyun Lee begins, “so we sought to minimize unnecessary movement.”

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HSS Paramus is in an existing office building, so Gensler first had to retrofit the floors for healthcare. Lee and her team added two central elevators so the physical therapy clinic upstairs can be easily reached and installed electromagnetic shielding for the MRI room. But the overarching goal was to create a calming, welcoming environment that puts patients at ease. “The key aspect was to streamline their journey and the flow of movement,” Lee continues. The center’s previous location had been fragmented and hard to navigate, causing patients undue strain. Gensler devised a centralized layout with clear wayfinding and grouped all patient-facing administrative functions in one spot in the lobby referred to as the “touchstone.”

Visitors check in and out at the touchstone, a sculptural, circular cluster of desks, their solid-surfacing composition able to withstand knocks from wheelchairs, crutches, and walkers. Screens, made of resin in HSS blue and fabric-wrapped acoustic panels in varying heights, add a layer of privacy for sensitive conversations, and semimatte terroxy flooring ensures nobody slips. Overhead, an open-cell ceiling surrounded by a stretched system with a reflective finish creates the illusion of height in an area that had felt cramped. An illuminated soffit appears to float beneath, its undulating form inspired by the body’s movement. Furniture is equally pleasant, ranging from residential-esque walnut-framed upholstered armchairs to healthcare-specific yet still handsome high seating.

Exam rooms are organized in rows with care teams accessible between them. They bisect circulation corridors, their ceiling and circular light fixtures providing subtle wayfinding, Lee explains: “When a patient sees those details, they know it’s a staff area.” Upstairs, the PT clinic feels like a high-end gym, with warm wood accents and a south-facing window wall through which sunlight streams. Such uplifting gestures are important: They help the injured find joy in movement again.

JAMES CRISPINO; VALENTIN LIEU; STEPHEN HEGEMAN; JU HYUN LEE; MATT LEONARD; AMY CARTER; MARGARITA DI MODUGNO; SCARLETT ZHAO; JHANVI JAGANI; BECCA BLODGETT.

FROM FRONT BERNHARDT: ARMCHAIRS (RECEPTION). ARMSTRONG: OPEN-CELL CEILING. NEWMAT: STRETCHED CEILING. WILSONART: DESK COUNTER. CARNEGIE: DIVIDER PANEL FABRIC. 3FORM: DIVIDER RESIN. KRUG: PATIENT CHAIRS (LOBBY). USG: CEILING (HALL). BETA-CALCO: LIGHT FIXTURES. SPARTAN SURFACES: FLOORING (PHYSICAL THERAPY). CORONET: PENDANT SYSTEM. THROUGHOUT FORMICA: LAMINATE. TERRAZZO & MARBLE SUPPLY: TERROXY FLOORING. TEKNOFLOR: FLOOR TILE.