Senior Friendly Award: Center for Advanced Care at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center

Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center's Center for Advanced Care in Chicago has an open and easy-to-navigate design that's welcoming for senior patients who might otherwise be uncomfortable in a large urban facility. That earned it Modern Healthcare's first Senior-Friendly Design Award.

The center was designed by Chicago-based SmithGroupJJR, and it opened in April. It offers outpatient cancer, digestive health and surgical services for Advocate's adjacent hospital.

It features a three-story atrium and curved glass facade, letting in sunlight while providing views that help orient patients and visitors. Designers sought to give the central corridor a “Main Street” feel by providing places where patients can rest, socialize or converse with their provider or caregivers. The corridor offers a clear view of all department entrances.

“You don't have to wonder where you're heading next,” said Tim Tracey, SmithGroupJJR principal and office director. “You don't feel like you're at an airport.”

The nine chemotherapy bays offer garden views and removable partitions if patients prefer to talk with other patients. The digestive health unit features exam rooms with a standardized layout designed for flexibility. There is also a health resource library, conference facilities and a café. The ambulatory surgical unit features six operating rooms and 18 prep and recovery rooms.

The facility is the first phase of a master-planned redevelopment that calls for vertical expansion. Design Award judges said they liked how the designers created an intimate environment. “They were able to take a big facility and make you feel like you were in a smaller, more quaint atmosphere,” said awards judge Rulon Stacey.

Agnessa Todorova, a healthcare architect and director of integration for Brisbane, Calif.-based Aditazz who served as a judge, said some projects that had more senior-specific service lines looked more like office buildings. She described the Advocate center's design as sophisticated and well-organized.

The building has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star designation.

Henry Chao, the healthcare design director at HOK architects in New York who served as a judge, said the new Advocate facility is part of a growing trend for hospitals to fit into a neighborhood.