The new nine-story ambulatory-care center is part of a master plan to transform the south end of the Boston Medical Center campus by improving pedestrian access and replacing BMC's old maternity building from the 1920s. The Shapiro Center's terracotta exterior provides contrast to the traditional brick buildings found elsewhere on the site.
Richard Kobus, senior principal of Tsoi/Kobus & Associates architects, says plans call for linking the center to neighboring buildings where cancer and inpatient care are provided. The facility features a modular design with identical exam rooms, offering efficiency and flexibility. Natural light filters into every corridor, and storage space close to patient rooms minimizes the number of steps nurses need to take.
Boston Medical Center has served as the region's safety net hospital since 1864, and Kobus says the goal was to design a “forward looking” building that lives up to the BMC motto: “Exceptional care without exception.”
Design Awards judge Agnessa Todorova notes how the Shapiro Center fits well in its surroundings, adding, “It speaks Boston to me.”
