Some client visions extend beyond the building

Architecture is a problem-solving profession. Clients have very specific needs, such as building an addition to accommodate new services or renovating interior spaces to improve staff efficiency or end-user comfort. No matter the project’s size or complexity, our job is to understand the need, apply our planning and design expertise, and create a solution that fits the client’s needs.

Sometimes we find that buildings have a higher importance, where the client’s vision extends beyond the building itself and its impact is monumental in the local community and beyond.

Stephanie Pielich remembers one healthcare project from 20 years ago that had a significant impact beyond the building itself. For all of us, it was one of those projects that brought immense personal satisfaction because it reinforced the JJCA ideal that our work matters.

The project was the Odessa Regional Medical Center in Odessa, TX, then called Alliance Hospital. The doctors who would own the facility wanted a new surgical hospital with the standard patient treatment and staff spaces, which were all identified during the master planning and design process.

What was unique about the surgical area was that the surgery performed there would be state-of-the-art: this was one of the first hospitals ever built for robotic surgery.

We knew at the time that this was definitely a new frontier for how surgery would be performed in the future. We worked closely with the surgeons to understand robotic equipment requirements, and we quickly grasped the importance of how this technology would change the face of healthcare in the future.

The surgeons' vision was not only to perform surgery with this state-of-the-art equipment but also to teach by broadcasting entire surgeries across the world to educate and demonstrate these new procedures to other surgeons and healthcare staff. The project included an auditorium where surgeons and staff could watch a surgery procedure in progress along with broadcast technology and equipment to achieve the vision as a global instructional platform.

This community hospital would deliver state-of-the-art medical education to doctors across the globe.

This was an ah-ha moment for Stephanie, who recognized that designing a building is often more than the design itself. What fulfills us is not just our passion to design a building that functions well, but also helps clients achieve bigger visions.

We knew we were fortunate to be part of this state-of-the-art facility at the time. Even more than 20 years later, we are still driven by helping clients achieve their dreams in the building itself and the impact their buildings can have on patients and their communities.