Located in East Tennessee, Contemporary Women’s Health is a unique all-women physicians group dedicated to providing OBGYN services which incorporate the latest medical trends set in a comfortable, ultra-modern environment. The practice is focused on providing patient support for a healthy mind, body, and spirit. In 2013, BarberMcMurry architects was approached by the practice to help design a new facility to embody their mission located approximately 15 miles west of Knoxville in East Tennessee. The client asked that the new building convey their values by creating a coherent building manifested in a modern, calming, light filled environment. Located between two major bisecting interstate highways, the site is situated for maximum visibility from passing traffic. The location is also strategically placed near a regional medical center that the practice serves. Adjacent parcels to the south remain dotted with single story residential houses, while lots immediately to the north and east remain mainly vegetated.
BMa worked closely with the medical staff at Contemporary Women’s Health to first understand how their practice functioned day to day in order to create an efficient floor plan to accommodate their program flow. The building form is organized about a central mass which houses a Spa, Main Entry, Waiting, and Clinic Support. Two “bar” elements that house 14 exam rooms plug into the central element on the north and south side. The practice is led by two doctors with one working the north exam bar, the other the south. Their offices anchor the clinic on the east end of the building. Each exam bar accesses the central support area which contains a Lab, three Ultrasound Rooms, and two Procedure spaces. The west end of the building houses the Spa which contains a Massage Room, an Aesthetician, and is anchored by the Yoga Studio.
To emphasize visual tranquility, we utilized a limited palette of glass, metal, cypress wood, and concrete while emphasizing the color white. Corridors, waiting, exam rooms, offices, and the spa all are afforded ample natural light. Areas needing visual privacy utilize frosted glass. Simple rock gardens are placed outside the main waiting area, yoga, and doctors’ offices to create hushed buffer zones between the building and the outside world beyond. To enhance the connection with the outdoors, exterior tongue and groove cypress siding penetrates the glass plane and is continued on the interior walls and ceilings, thus dematerializing the storefront plane.
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