Designed by US-based architectural firm Marmon Mok Architecture, in consortium with SmithGroup, the center merges the Audie Murphy Hospital looks with the modern indoor features of the Center for the Intrepid. Spread over an area of 84,000 square feet, the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center is estimated to cost $66 million.
The center will feature panoramic murals, natural colors and optimum daylight available through triple-pane glass panels. Integrating such features, the center aims at displaying a home like design and will meet the standards set by Planetree, a Connecticut-based non-profit that emphasizes patient-centered care.
Design of the trauma center are also derived from the Intrepid, which was designed by SmithGroup and opened at Fort Sam Houston in 2007, making use of open space, natural lighting and aesthetics, to create a healing environment.
The atrium of the building features perimeter glass walls that project a silhouette of live oaks in shades of green and brown, which will cause a starlight effect at night. It will also house a café, an interior courtyard with elms, oaks and benches, 12 inpatient beds, and 12 transitional apartments for disabled veterans to learn daily living skills.
A special area is also designed for the severely physically disfigured people, who want to remain away from the rest of the public. Three floors, of about 32,000 square feet, will be renovated to integrate a new lobby and a clinical administration area.
The center will treat veterans for burns, limb loss and other physical effects of war, and also deal with the mental aspects associated with war such as, depression and traumatic brain injury.
