PKA began working with Grande Ronde Hospital on the Regional Medical Plaza (RMP) in the fourth quarter of 2013. Originally, the owner had slated this project to be a minor addition to the existing RMP building. PKA worked with the project team on programming/space planning and it was determined that a larger addition would be required to meet the Hospital’s current needs and future growth. The new expansion doubled the area of the existing building for a total of 27,500 ft².

This expansion allowed Grande Ronde Hospital to consolidate several of their outpatient clinic spaces. The RMP now houses the Women’s Clinic, Pediatric Clinic, Ortho., ENT, and Surgeon’s Office. The more efficient staff work spaces and remodel of the existing clinic areas ensures that the Hospital will continue to provide the best patient care experience in the area.

The lobby of this seventeen-story city tower has been transformed to promote wellness and encourage visitors and employees alike to relax and breathe in that clean, Pacific Northwest air.

The concept of design for the KPB remodel was developed by juxtaposing a map of the city of Portland with the building floor plan, resulting in a clear sense of place defined as landmarks, district influence, signage, art, and color. Connecting Portland’s community and the NW region, the design takes cues from Portland’s well-known “five quadrants” and the concept of the “City Within” came to be.

What was once a dated and confined space is now an open concept environment with a welcoming information and security desk centered between the main entrance and elevator core. The circular desk, organic in nature, has two beautiful aerial photographs of the city as a back drop, the Willamette River backlit, a focal point of the space.

The wood veneer portals, representing the many bridges of “Bridgetown” move you from entryway through to the elevator core, accentuating your sense of arrival. The four quadrants surrounding the lobby are the Wellness Center (gym), Retail and Education Lounge, Multipurpose Conference Center, and a future coffee bar/café.

The furniture in the foyer and lobby is fresh and relaxing. A touchdown space, fitted with plug-in capabilities for laptops and a coffee station, provides room for the staff to rest and reenergize mid-shift. The Wellness Center embodies a transformative mix of action and Zen. Its well-equipped gym has easy access to locker rooms below and to the adjacent yoga studio.

The Retail and Education Lounge acts as a flex space for Kaiser Permanente retail and marketing activities, while doubling as an interactive group break out area. The “history wall”, with large historic photos of Kaiser Permanente’s history, provides education through art.

PKA Architects was grateful to become a master contract architect for the St. Charles Health System in 2012. The first project we were assigned to collaborate on started out to be a $1M renovation of the fifth floor of the patient tower at St. Charles Medical Center – Bend (SCMC). As the design process proceeded, the scope and desires of the administration evolved.

SCMC is frequently at a full census and the small, oddly shaped patient rooms on the third and fourth floors were limiting their patient care goals. PKA worked with the team to devise a project to expand the tower by filling in the saw-tooth façade on the third and fourth floors. This project gives those patient rooms an average 30% increase in their floor plans. The project also completely renovates all three floors of nursing (3, 4, and 5) including all patient rooms, corridors, and support core space.

Lastly, there is added complexity with the requirement that this project be completed while still occupied. To accomplish this, PKA teamed with the owner and contractor to devise an eight-phase plan that was completed by Spring 2017, while allowing the hospital to maintain patient care operations.

The new patient rooms, which were mocked up and tested thoroughly by nurses, physicians, and support staff, are a tremendous upgrade to the patient care capabilities of the medical center. The PKA team, in collaboration with SCMC user groups, meticulously reviewed every last detail in each of the rooms. This attention to detail and awareness of the medical staff’s needs has created and will continue to create an improved patient experience and a more efficient work environment.

PKA Architects was honored to design Adventist Medical Center’s (AMC) Outpatient Pavilion, which completed construction in 2009. We are equally delighted that the first outpatient clinic space on the third floor of the Pavilion is now open and ready to serve the community.

OHSU Knight Cancer Institute opened a Community Hematology Oncology Clinic at Adventist Medical Center to give patients with cancer and blood diseases the option to receive treatment in their community in East Portland. PKA has enjoyed long relationships with both AMC as well as OHSU. This project presented us the unique opportunity to serve both clients on the same project. The specialized treatments offered in the clinic will also include chemotherapy infusion services.

This project extends a deep-rooted history working with OHSU and the Knight Cancer Institute to further their dedication to providing unparalleled oncology services. PKA designed the formerly titled Pacific Oncology building now owned and operated by the Knight Cancer Institute, which provides a full spectrum of oncology services, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and imaging services. PKA also successfully completed the medical planning and tenant improvement design for the Knight Cancer Institute’s Inpatient Oncology Department on the 13^th and 14^th floor of OHSU’s Peter O. Kohler Pavilion. Lastly, we are currently designing another Community Oncology Clinic for the Knight Cancer Institute this time located in Astoria, Oregon at Columbia Memorial Hospital.

The Center for Health and Healing promotes a holistic approach to outpatient care. This LEED platinum building houses a multi-story wellness center, a high-tech Imaging Center, Outpatient Surgery and Cosmetic Surgery suites, eight floors of outpatient clinics, GI Labs, an Infusion Center, and four floors of research laboratories. The wellness center includes a spa, gym, swimming pool, and basketball court.

The building will connect via aerial tram to the Kohler Pavilion on the main OHSU Campus. PKA designed this 70,000-ft² space working with GBD Architects.

The Kaiser Airport Way Regional Laboratory is a clinical laboratory that processes specimens for Kaiser and other medical facilities within the Pacific Northwest. The Kaiser Regional Lab was an interior remodel of an existing warehouse. There are 9,000 ft² of administrative and pathology offices on the upper floor. PKA based the design of this $8.8M laboratory facility entirely on the “process”. This represented a total concept change from traditional laboratory departmental design. Traditional departments, such as chemistry and hematology, no longer exist; they are embedded in shared preparation work areas. Another benefit of this state-of-the-art facility is that the efficiency in design allowed for consolidation of equipment, such as centrifuges, stainers, freezers, and refrigerators, to realize even greater operational savings. In addition, 80% of all specimens can now be processed on the automated robotic line. The 50,000 ft² facility is approximately the same size as Kaiser’s former facility but has increased its specimen production by 240% and has 400% its former capacity. Routine specimens are processed faster at this off-site facility than at on-site clinics.