Urban Design & Civic
MEDICAL CAMPUS SITE PLANNING
Kaiser Permanente Anaheim Medical Campus
Anaheim, California
WHITIN DESIGN WORKS was an active member of the site planning team for the Kaiser Permanente Medical Campus. In 2003 alternative site development studies were prepared for an 18-acre parcel. The original L-shaped parcel revealed inefficiencies in the site planning, resulting in the acquisition of the adjacent parcel to assemble the 27-acre rectangular site in 2006. Site build out will occur in 4 phases starting with the MOB #1 (2008), followed by the first parking structure, 2 hospital bays and the HSB (2012), then MOB #2, and finally MOB #3, third hospital bay and the second parking structure. Full build out of the campus is expected by 2018.
Consistent with the Kaiser “thrive” concept, the guiding principle for the campus planning was to de-institutionalize the patient, visitor and staff experience. The creation of the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine in 1992 signaled acceptance of the positive benefits of environmental design on medical outcomes. Landscape is the organizing principle for the site plan and the 2-acre Healing Garden is the focus for buildings as well as pedestrian and vehicular circulation. A winding entry boulevard brings users through native California Coast Live Oaks to the west end of the 650 foot long Healing Garden and the HSB/Hospital drop-off and parking structure. A future pedestrian connection to the Metro Link is planned for the east end of the Healing Garden. A terraced planting of Lombardy Poplars along the 850 foot freeway frontage softens views to and from the 91 Freeway and hospital.