Introduction
The Meridian Centre for Health brings together partners to provide integrated treatment, including Valley | Cities Behavioural Health treatment for behavioural and mental health, Seattle-King County Public Health for mothers, babies, and children, and Neighborcare Health for medical and dentistry. It provides “whole person” care for persons with little or no insurance, including those receiving food stamps or other forms of assistance, families, elderly individuals, homeless individuals, and those with impairments.
The Meridian Centre for Health draws alongside collaborators that offer integrated treatment, including Neighborcare Health for medical and dental care, Valley | Cities Behavioural Health for behavioural and mental health therapy, and Seattle-King County Public Health for mothers, newborns, and children. For those with little to no insurance coverage, which includes those who receive benefits such as food stamps or other types of help, households, elderly people, people who are homeless, and people with disabilities, it offers “whole person” care.
In addition, a public park with an art walk, a pond, and a grove of old trees was saved and improved as part of the project. With the addition of lush native flora, a formerly bare area was transformed into a stormwater management area that also serves as a home for ducks and other local bird species.
Design | Meridian Center
Vision
The Meridian Centre for Health integrates various traditionally separate clinical and social services, including behavioural and recovery programmes for the impoverished in disadvantaged Seattle neighbourhoods and medical, dental, baby, maternity, and other related services.
Breakthrough
It was necessary to think more broadly about what defines healthcare and how it is practised to comprehend and treat the various health factors. By bringing together three disparate organisations, we can meet patients where they are and close the wellness gap by offering the support services required for a happy, full life.
Value
The Meridian Centre is a destination for people in all stages of life, not only when they are unwell. The project embraces the restorative qualities of nature through a restored site while simultaneously addressing the socioeconomic determinants of wellness to create a “environment of health and wellbeing.”
Insight
Healthy outcomes are promoted by eliminating unnecessary handoffs between healthcare organisations. Instead of requiring several follow-up appointments, a model where a patient receives various services within a single visit can be created. A network of easily accessible resources for leading a healthy life.
The Meridian Centre for Health’s primary design objective is eliminating waste, including repetition and duplication. Different healthcare practitioners may see patients precisely where they are—even concurrently in the same exam room—instead of directing them to multiple experts spread out across medical facilities and campuses.
In addition to clinic facilities, there are locations for community services available late, including conference rooms, help to find housing, job training, resume writing, nutrition counselling, and culinary lessons. Patient wait times, travel time, and registration paperwork are all reduced thanks to our all-inclusive strategy. These areas serve as both group education and therapy rooms during the day.
Large-format movable and pivot doors are an example of a flexible feature that enables these rooms to function alone or collectively to accommodate the variety of groups wishing to help this patient population. Consequently, the centre may function as a genuine community asset, transcending the limitations of conventional healthcare and providing an answer to a more comprehensive understanding of health and wellbeing.
Materials/Construction
The construction of the Meridian Center for Health utilises a combination of traditional and innovative construction techniques. The building’s structure consists of steel framing and a reinforced concrete foundation. The facade of the building is made of glass and aluminum panels, providing an aesthetically pleasing and modern look.
One of the innovative construction techniques used in the building is using precast concrete panels for the parking garage. These panels were fabricated off-site and assembled on-site, reducing construction time and minimising disruption to the surrounding neighbourhood.
Sustainability | Meridian Center
The Meridian Centre for Health was created with sustainability in mind to get LEED Gold certification. Numerous environmentally friendly elements, such as a green roof, rainwater collection, and energy-efficient lighting, are included in the building’s design.
The building’s energy use is decreased by the insulation and heat island effect mitigation provided by the green roof. The building uses less city water because to the rainwater harvesting system, which gathers and stores rainwater for irrigation and toilet flushing.
Additionally, the structure has HVAC and lighting systems that consume less energy, which lowers energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The building’s environmental effect is further diminished through low-emitting materials and high-efficiency plumbing fixtures.
The availability of providers is increased, and treatment fragmentation is reduced by integrating a variety of healthcare professionals, including those who provide dental care, women’s, baby, and child care, mental health wellness, and more.
Greater engagement and cooperation between various healthcare practitioners are encouraged with teaming spaces, “hot desking” (shared workstations), cross-speciality exam rooms, and a staff lounge (for potlucks and staff gatherings).
To encourage more powerful engagement—as well as privacy concerning sensitive medical information—for both carers and patients, the design team meticulously considered the placement of onstage areas (health service provider with the patient) and off-stage locations (health provider without patient), as well as the circulation between them.
References
Bittle, J. (2019) Meridian Center for Health by NBBJ, Architectural Record RSS. Architectural Record. Available at: https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/12497-meridian-center-for-health-by-nbbj (Accessed: May 8, 2023).
Neighborcare health, Meridian Center for Health | Architect Magazine (no date). Available at: https://www.architectmagazine.com/project-gallery/neighborcare-health-meridian-center-for-health_o (Accessed: May 7, 2023).
Knowledge repository (no date) The Center for Health Design. Available at: https://www.healthdesign.org/knowledge-repository (Accessed: May 8, 2023).
