University of Virginia University Hospital Expansion

Charlottesville, Virginia
Design Supporting World Class Patient-Centered Care

The University of Virginia University Hospital began each day the same way, in a state of emergency. The existing emergency department was designed to accommodate 40,000 patients a year, but was seeing 60,000 patients a year. The challenge served as the catalyst for the hospital expansion.

The largest expansion in the modern history of the UVA University Health System, this new flagship project will provide world-class, patient-centered care and better support the training of healthcare professionals. The new hospital will include an expanded and consolidated interventional platform containing four new operating rooms and 12 new interventional procedure rooms.

The geometry of the bed tower opens up views in all patient rooms to the planted roofs and Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The nursing staff breakrooms also enjoy these gracious views, promoting health and wellness for care providers. This connection to nature is reinforced on the interior with graphics that use recognizable features of the Virginia landscape to infuse the space and experience with familiar stories of people, place, healing, and nature.

A new lobby will serve both the expanded emergency department and the remainder of the hospital.
The emergency department and patient tower have multiple features that are innovative to the field of patient care.
  • Interoperative CT Scan
  • ER elevator with interventional platform
  • Daylighting through surgical sterile corridor
  • All private, acuity adaptable patient beds
  • Green roof with water capture that sends all extra gray water to the chiller plant
  • Campus wide water strategy. Recycling gray water to the campus chiller plant across the street makes the project essentially net-zero water.
Health and Wellness

“The Future of Patient Rooms,” feature curved walls in the surgery and ICU rooms to give privacy to patients and sightlines for caregivers. It also provides access to natural light, views of nature, and focuses on overall health of patients and caregivers.

What makes it cool
The design of each patient room provides a unique view of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
The 180-bed expansion extends from the existing hospital with a fluid, curvilinear façade that creates a memorable entrance to the University Medical Center.

Project Team

Ralph Johnson
People
Ralph Johnson
Jean Mah
People
Jean Mah
Marvina Williams
People
Marvina Williams
Jim Bynum
People
Jim Bynum
Jim Woody
People
Jim Woody
Dede Woodring
People
Dede Woodring