To provide a growing and aging community with safety-net services and high-quality healthcare, Flad partnered with Sarasota Memorial Health Care System (SMH) to design a new full-service, acute-care hospital, SMH-Venice. The five-story, 452,000-square-foot facility opened with 110 private patient rooms in 2021 and has since expanded to 212 private patient suites.

Drawing from extensive visioning workshops, the hospital design focused on community engagement, flexibility, and resilience. Throughout the design process, the design team engaged multiple community stakeholder groups, highlighting the importance of design features and program offerings centered on community health and engagement.

In a presentation at EDRA56, Flad healthcare practice leaders will share findings from a mixed-method post occupancy evaluation of these community-centric spaces and features. They will also share lessons learned related to aligning space needs to expedite growth and explore design strategies that worked or need refinement.

In addition to explaining factors contributing to utilization patterns and plans for accommodating future growth, the presentation will share findings related to resilience strategies and outcomes experienced after withstanding multiple hurricanes.