Circle Health

Introduction

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Many healthcare systems throughout the country are moving to the model of opening small, nearby campuses to handle urgent care cases, thus allowing hospital emergency rooms to focus on the life-threatening emergencies they are designed to treat. These small campuses often include physician offices and specialized treatment centers, in addition to the urgent care facilities. Typically, these facilities are strategically located to be close to patient populations, making it convenient for people to seek the treatment they need in a timely fashion, before conditions become more serious.

With the most recent opening of Circle Health in Tewksbury, MA, Lowell General Hospital now has opened four of these small healthcare facilities in recent years.

“We want to be able to provide convenient access for patients and their families,” said Amy Hoey, Lowell General Hospital’s chief operating officer. “There is also a goal to lower costs and provide more appropriate care for (each patient).”

The new, 13,600 square-foot Tewksbury facility provides the community with urgent care, patient services, and primary care. The main floor is divided into two office suites. One suite includes an eight-room urgent care center and a Lowell General Hospital patient services center, and the second suite is home to Tewksbury Family Health.

The  Story

Maugel Architects of Harvard, MA, was selected to design the facility and was tasked with creating a modern yet soothing and classic aesthetic to welcome patients in the lobby. The configuration of the space is tall and narrow with a sloped ceiling and no elevator bank or stairwell access. To clad the unique area, the designers needed a durable wall covering that would not be too busy in terms of look and style and not be too heavy or thick to minimize weight. Additionally, they sought a material that would accommodate the integration of multiple light switches, emergency alarms, emergency phones, and HVAC vents.

With consideration of all the project requirements and taking inspiration from another Boston-area project (450 Bedford Street; click here to see the case study), the design team specified Crossville Porcelain Tile Panels by Laminam. This versatile material proved to be just the prescription this healthcare facility needed. With outer dimensions measured in feet—not inches, a lean profile of just 3+mm, and a lighter weight than many other wall cladding materials, the Crossville tile panels offered a modern, sleek surfacing solution that was ideal for the Circle Health lobby.

To create a welcoming and calming environment, the designers combined the tile panels in a trio of colors. Crossville’s Oxide in Bianco and Grigio bring a metallic shimmer in a pearlescent hue and dark gray respectively. These two tones blend seamlessly with Crossville’s Filo in Brina to add visual interest and texture. The installation team cut the porcelain tile panels into variously sized rectangles that were installed length-wise in a random stack pattern for a result that feels organic yet modern. The easy-to-cut material allowed the installation team to integrate openings for the facility’s light switches, emergency alarms, emergency phones, and HVAC vents.

Not only do the porcelain panels provide the right look and feel for the lobby in the moment, but they will perform beautifully in the long term. The expansive surface is high performance and simple to clean and maintain with minimal grout joints. These characteristics make the Crossville tile panels an excellent solution for healthcare facilities prioritizing cleanliness, ease of maintenance, as well as aesthetic appeal for patients.