Project Category – New Construction (completed December 1999)

Facility Contact – William Ivey, Project Leader, (617) 232-9500, ext. 6005

Firm – Payette Associates, (617) 895-1058

Design Team – Henry Chao, AIA, Principal-in-Charge; Livia Franca, Project Architect; Michael Quinn, Job Captain; Jason Richardson, Designer; Edgar Fowler, Jr., Specifications

Patient/Bed Capacity – 12-station ER, 80 to 100 exam rooms

Total Building Area (sq. ft.) – 105,000

Total Land Area (acres) – 13.5

Total Cost (excluding land) – $25,500,000


The Ambulatory Care Addition to the VA Medical Center represents a new model for patient care delivery, with an emphasis on patient comfort and staff efficiency. The new three-story addition houses outpatient clinics, an emergency room, an 8-OR surgery center, parking garage and a total reorganization of the campus circulation.

Reconfiguration of the existing site organizes a more pleasant arrival sequence, improving both pedestrian and vehicular access. Patients and visitors are welcomed into the building through a spacious atrium/waiting area with an abundance of natural light. Formed by the atrium and the existing building are two courtyards for patient and staff use. An entry canopy provides a welcoming link to the inner circulation spine between the existing medical center and the new addition. These elements create a new identity for the medical center, and traffic flow is ultimately streamlined in and out of the complex.

The clinics are organized into modules made up of examination rooms, consultation rooms, a procedure area, and administrative and clinical support spaces, shared by a group of physicians. An examination pod has two examination rooms, two office/examination rooms, a toilet and a utility room. This cluster layout improves patient privacy, saves the nursing staff time and energy, and accommodates teaching and training.

The addition creates a new and prominent presence in its urban setting while mediating the scale of the existing 14-story hospital with that of the neighborhood. Materials make reference to the existing medical center and the predominant street texture, color and scale.