Gallun Snow worked with Boulder Associates to design an outpatient tenant finish space for Kaiser Permanente, serving the Colorado Springs area. Completed in January of 2021, this 25,000 square foot space provides services for primary and specialty care, pharmacy, medical imaging, lab, and non-oncology infusion services as Kaiser Permanente’s first project in Colorado to implement their NextGen model. The design team also adhered to Kaiser Permanente’s Total Health Environment design criteria to provide a healing and welcoming environment.
Project Spotlight: Kaiser Permanente Colorado Springs
Kaiser Permanente’s mission promotes wellness, hopefulness, and joy during each member’s visit by bringing in a full spectrum of color to each of their clinics while including only sustainably sourced and manufactured materials. A bold and contrasting color scheme, paired with biophilic patterns and large-scale nature images were employed to bring nature inside this new space. Bright, cheery colors are grounded by warm wood tones and light grey flooring to direct the visitor through the space. We used materials mimicking natural patterns like the carpet (to mimic lichen on the forest floor) and hexagonal patterns (commonly found in nature) in differing materials to provide balance and repetition. Large scale nature images are integrated in DIRTT walls in the Nurse Stations, where a boost of nature can calm nerves, invigorate senses and aid in wayfinding.
Kaiser Permanente incorporates a Public Square and Front Porch into their design model as communal gathering spaces and active waiting spaces, that support members work, respite, education and even play. As members and guests enter Kaiser Permanente’s first floor entrance they are immediately greeted with the open and vibrant Public Square, where a large brightly upholstered sofa softly curves around the waiting area, complementing the other pieces of modern waiting room furniture. The backdrop of the greeter desks is a bright feature wall of crisp white three-dimensional hexagonal tile from which light and shadow play to add texture to the space. The retractable glass partition wall to the large conference room allows for the entire front lobby space to become one open space for community engagements.
A wrap-around bench connects the Public Square to the Front Porch, transitioning spaces. The Front Porch provides pods of brightly colored seating along a sunlit corridor where members can find respite while waiting.
Warm wood portals frame each suite, helping to orient members as they walk through the space. The wood features also anchor art locations where custom art pieces are showcased. Partnering with Art Consulting Services, the design team assisted in the art direction and selection of custom artwork pieces. Created predominantly by local Colorado artists, these pieces include a custom painted mural, mixed media installations of ceramic, wood, and fibers, and printed large scale nature montages throughout. They pay homage to local landscapes and community landmarks to provide familiarity to the members.
Creating a space with efficient patient flow and future flexibility are goals we share with Kaiser Permanente. Working alongside local industry partners such as Workplace Elements for demountable wall partitions and Officescapes for furniture, this outpatient facility was designed for versatility in an ever-changing healthcare market. Collaboration between the owner, design and construction teams, and vendors was paramount to achieve the successful realization of Kaiser Permanente’s vision for this project.