Renown South Meadows Specialty Care Center
This three-story specialty care center addresses healthcare needs where specialty care is severely underrepresented. Renown Health is the largest locally owned, not-for-profit healthcare network in northern Nevada, and this center grows the system’s outpatient offerings with an outpatient surgery center and spaces including oncology and cardiology clinics. It also increases the capacity and functionality of the campus’s existing hospital with a new servery, kitchen, labs, central sterile processing, and more.
The design emphasizes comfort and welcome with a visual language reflecting the local landscape. It translates Reno’s vibrant art scene and stunning natural context, nestled in the Truckee River Valley at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, into a soothing experience for patients and staff. Reinforcing the client’s commitment to patient-first care, this specialty care center supports well-being holistically. The warmth of layered textures, wood, and biophilic elements, the elegance of champagne and bronze metal accents, and custom art combine to set the mind and body at ease.
The interior design concept was inspired by two parallel journeys: the natural journey of the Truckee River from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake, and the healthcare journey of the client, who has served and grown alongside the community for many decades. Both river and client are intertwined with local identity as enduring presences in the community.
Celebrating this, we created a clear journey line—flowing gently through the clinic’s public areas—to guide visitors and patients. The line, parallel on floor and ceiling, helps lessen anxiety with stress-free wayfinding.
From plains to pine trees to mountain peaks, the journey line shows the progression of natural tones and shapes along the Truckee River. Note the pattern of perforations in the ceiling, for example. They ripple outward and grow larger in gesture to the expanse of the Great Basin.
Key areas for visitors are distinguished with changes in materiality and form, translating the diversity and spirit of the land into a series of visual cues. While drawing the eye to the check-in destination, graceful undulations in custom millwork behind the reception desk also lead directly to the elevator lobby. As the journey line comes to an end in the dining area, smooth horizontal patterns rise into a vertical, mountainscape-inspired rhythm of metal tubes.
Committed to the art-healing connection, Renown Health champions the inclusion of custom art in their facilities. In a hands-on process with artists (many of them local), we guided the creation of pieces that express local identity and contribute meaningfully to the healing environment.
Level 3 is dedicated to the Conrad Breast Center, which was designed to bring all outpatient oncology care services together on one floor. It incorporates state-of-the-art infusion rooms, advanced imaging, clinical exam rooms, welcoming waiting areas, and a wellness center. Inside the wellness center, multipurpose space hosts education and yoga, while a salon and therapy room support patients through their healing journey.
