Gresham Smith and Array Architects embraced the surrounding area and created a calming space for patients at Mount Carmel Hospital in Grove City, Ohio.

With a desire to replace the Grove City community’s decades-old hospital, Mount Carmel Health System selected Gresham Smith to design a new full-service teaching hospital and medical office building at its Grove City campus in Ohio. The hospital houses stroke and cancer centers, a surgery unit, a maternity floor with a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, neurology, cardiology, orthopedics and vascular care, while the medical office building focuses on outpatient specialties such as primary care, women’s health services and outpatient oncology.

To improve operational efficiencies in the new facility, our team began by leading multidisciplinary service line teams from Mount Carmel through a Lean process improvement and operational alignment exercise. The Gresham Smith team also offered solutions to streamline care, which included consolidating four critical care units into one central location, forming an interventional platform for all surgical and endovascular procedures and creating an independent short-stay observation unit that can covert to a pandemic unit.

Mount Carmel’s strong Catholic heritage and mission of “providing compassionate, faith-based quality care to patients” was top-of-mind throughout the design process. From salvaging the old hospital’s terrazzo floor seal and placing it inside the staff entry to incorporating a stained glass cross motif throughout, the new hospital has connections to the past.

To create a comfortable, welcoming experience, patients and visitors experience clear, intuitive wayfinding the moment they step on site. A glass curtainwall façade and entry boulevard makes the main entrance hard to miss. Inside the main lobby, a monumental stair visually connects visitors to the other floors and a main concourse, dubbed “Main Street,” provides easy access to the hospital’s chapel, registration, waiting, dining, pharmacy and imaging areas, as well as the emergency department, medical office buildings and conference center. Outdoor walking trails and gathering spaces with views of the pond offer connection to nature and provide respite for patients, family members and staff.

Mount Carmel’s campus is primed to continue providing exceptional, holistic care for the community for decades to come.

Architect: Gresham Smith
Interior Design: Array Architects
Photography: Brad Feinknopf