Emory Names Architectural Design Firm for The Emory Clinic

Emory University’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center announced its intentions in 2006 to build a new facility for The Emory Clinic, and today moves a step closer to make the vision a reality by selecting architectural design firm HKS, Inc., in association with planning firm Ayers Saint Gross.
This new complex will enable Emory to create a place where physicians and scientists work together to provide a model patient-centered health care system for the 21st century -- all supported by the power of translational research, so as to set a world-class standard for health care.

The new facility is planned for a site near the original Emory Clinic building constructed in the 1950s. Plans call for a combination of patient, research and office space designed to integrate research and clinical care in an “ideal patient experience”-- from parking, arrival and check-in to examination, treatment and patient discharge. The facility will be designed to provide the ultimate experience in patient safety, outcomes and quality.

“Emory’s vision is to build the health care environment of tomorrow for all the people of Atlanta, the State of Georgia and the Southeast today,” says Michael M.E. Johns, MD, executive vice president for health affairs, CEO of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, and chairman of Emory Healthcare. “These new facilities will support patient care, medical training and research in order for us to fulfill our goal to transform health and healing in the 21st century.”

A recent gift from The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, Inc., of $240 million will be used toward the construction of the $515 million state-of-the-art facility that will transform the outpatient care experience provided by the University’s clinical component, Emory Healthcare.

Mr. Robert W. Woodruff helped establish The Emory Clinic more than fifty years ago, and today’s Woodruff Foundation has continued its investment in Emory’s vision and ambition to provide world-class patient care and medical training.

“We are continuing to incorporate into Emory facilities evidence-based design using evidence-based medicine, with integrated teams of professionals working together to provide patient- and family-centered care,” says Dr. Johns. “This is the future model for all Emory clinics and hospitals.”

For the architectural design of The Emory Clinic, HKS, a top-five architectural firm, will provide conceptual and schematic design and assist with design development and construction documents. A firm with over 65 years of architectural design project experience, HKS opened its Atlanta office in 2000 -- having completed a number of projects throughout Georgia. Modern Healthcare has consistently ranked HKS number one in volume of healthcare architecture for 14 consecutive years. The firm is the largest healthcare architect internationally, according to BD World Architecture.

“On behalf of HKS Architects, we are delighted to be selected for this most important project,” says Bob Farrow, senior vice president for HKS. “Our shared vision for healthcare excellence for the Atlanta community will serve as the guiding philosophy as we move forward. Great architecture is the result of a collaborative process of which HKS’s partnership with Emory has progressed for over a decade.”