Following the best practices for creating high-performance healing environments, Baystate Medical Center is designed to be a model for balancing emerging technology with nature. The design by Steffian Brady Architects explores nature in the literal and figurative senses, as well as through colors and materials. This is evident in leaf abstractions applied to glazing, large-scale prairie vistas in muted sepia tones, and a palette comprising browns, mineral hues, and soothing blues and greens.

The state-of-the-art expansion also focuses on how details can affect the building’s users. Patient- and family-centric care is reinforced by the separation of public and patient flow from staff and personnel. Rerouting foot traffic away from patient rooms also effectively reduces noise. Private patient rooms accommodate family and friends to enhance the patient’s healing environment and experience. Wayfinding from central elevators is oriented toward views of the green roof, which also helps to eliminate the need for overhead signage. Collaborative workspaces and abundant natural illumination from a five-story central light well in each medical wing improve the staff’s experience.

Of this project, a juror stated, “the designers reinvented the conceptual design process from the ground up by starting with the evidence and building a design approach from there.”


acute care honorable mention
Designer Steffian Bradley Architects
Client Baystate Health
Where Springfield, Massachusetts