HGA designed the Trinity Health Muskegon Hospital Expansion to make the entire hospital more functional and patient-focused in Muskegon, Michigan.

When three hospitals within a two-mile radius consolidated into one space to resolve duplication and create a clear destination, HGA used astute operational planning and deep collaboration with Trinity Health front line staff. This process created an opportunity to decrease costs, increase return on investment, and create a single culture for this consolidated hospital system.

Trinity Health Muskegon was created in 2008 as Mercy and Hackley hospital systems were merged under Trinity Health. HGA worked with Trinity Health to develop a comprehensive Master Plan for the consolidation. Lean thinking and a focus on patient-centered collaboration became a major rallying point for leadership and staff over the course of the project. The innovative planning introduced flexible clinical platforms in lieu of traditional hospital departments. Spaces were designed for high efficiency and tested and refined as part of the 3P design process.

The expansion doubles the size of the Muskegon campus and increases patient room capacity with 267 patient beds, 19 operating rooms, 4 Cath/interventional radiology labs, a 48-bed emergency department, and associated support spaces. It also includes expanded ED and interventional services. Much of the existing building was renovated, enhancing its operational efficiency and incorporating the latest technology for improved patient care.

Supporting the new operational model is a design that reflects the colors and textures of nature found in this distinct western Michigan shoreline community. The new bed tower, contrasting in form and color to the existing campus, is clad in a soft white metal panel that is symbolic of healing and the new life given to the campus. The building material palette—stone, metal panel, and wood—evokes a strong relationship to the local natural environment, and relates to the community of patients, families, staff, and physicians it serves.

Design: HGA
Construction Manager: The Christman Company
Photography: John Magnoski