Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Hospital

HOK developed a master plan for Kaiser Permanente’s Redwood City Medical Center and then designed the first-phase hospital replacement project.

The master plan included a new replacement hospital, a new central utility plant to support future development and associated parking.

Organized around a large open space that acts as the heart of the campus, the plan links Redwood City’s central business district to major streets and public transportation.

The compact site, which has a building footprint nearly one-third smaller than hospitals with a comparable number of beds, challenged the design team to create a highly efficient plan. The seven-story, 149-bed hospital was built adjacent to the building it replaced. It features private rooms with room service as well as space that supports advanced neurological care and surgery.

The hospital includes an enclosed healing garden with outdoor dining off the cafeteria and a meditation area. A water feature sends a gentle flow of water over a wall of stone separating the quiet seating area from the busier pedestrian paths and outdoor dining. The garden is planted with drought-tolerant trees, shrubs and perennials that are non-allergenic and non-toxic.

The building’s bonded brace frame construction has diagonal beams that absorb lateral forces and prevent structural steel from bending and failing during an earthquake.