NIPE Medical Office Building

The site of the NIPE Medical Center is located within an established area of San Antonio. This newly constructed, 33,000 square feet two-story medical office building includes a primary care clinic, medical offices, a physical therapy/rehabilitation clinic, an optometry clinic, an optical shop, an audiology clinic, radiology services, and pharmacy. Approximately 11,000 sf accommodates administrative office spaces.

The building’s exterior has an inviting gateway porte-cochere which draws visitors to the entry. Once inside, visitors find three exam rooms form the basic planning module or “pod.” Each pathway leading to these pods are color coded for easy recognition. Door frames are painted a deep, dark bronze contrasting with the wall colors. Extra attention to variations in floor textures, patterns, and light fixtures were given to accommodate the ease of patients as they proceed through the building. Elderly patients with sight limitations find wayfinding cues through the use of strong contrasts in color as well as light and shade.

In order to provide full attention to all patients by their caregivers, the centralized nurse station is surrounded by examination rooms. The skylight imparts daylight to the nurses’ station which acts as the central orienting space for the whole facility. Focus was directed to the examination rooms and the corridors where physicians perform most of their work. Typically moving from room to room, doctors occasionally attend to multiple patients in adjacent examination rooms simultaneously, so the design of an efficient work flow was a key element.

The irregular-shaped property had a very challenging topography which required a unique building footprint in order to maximize land usage.

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