Bon Secours St. Francis - Emergency Department Addition
Greenville, SC

Project Strategy

The Bon Secours St Francis Downtown Emergency Department includes 45,381 sf of new and renovated space. The 38,267 sf new ED addition replaces the original 9,000 department and includes 42 rooms that will accommodate 75,000 visits annually. Another 7,114 sf of renovated space houses surgery preop, staff locker rooms, Chapel and offices. The facility is “future-friendly,” with pre-triage areas and fast-track rooms for the kind of conditions more suited to urgent care. It also includes much needed behavioral health and bereavement rooms, and two trauma bays. Patient rooms are arranged to flex to changing patient volumes and be used to isolate patients in the event of an outbreak. The space is organized around centralized nursing stations with treatment rooms on the perimeter.

Hospital emergency departments are high-use, demanding environments. The selection of materials and finishes must meet criteria that include infection prevention, safety, durability, fatigue reduction, codes, regulations, and design aesthetics. During the planning phases for the BSSF ED project, the interior design team conducted an existing facility flooring assessment to determine which products were performing and were most easily maintained over time. Interviews with housekeeping and engineering departments also contributed to the data. This information informed early recommendations to the owner to help determine what products would be considered in the project.

Bon Secours means ‘good help.’ The new ED design direction was equally simple and important…create a calming, warm and welcoming environment that provides state-of-the-art care to underserved communities. The patient population served is older so senior-friendly elements, such as large lettering, bright lights, and a neutral palette, were important. Finish materials were selected to support 3 primary zones; the clinical core (staff work), the clinical perimeter (exam and treatment), and public spaces. Flooring became a driving design element to both identify and support the use of the zones. Mannington wood-look LVT was used throughout the entrance lobby, pre-assessment areas, and public corridors to create a natural and welcoming first impression. In high traffic areas clinical areas, including exam rooms, Armstrong Diamond 10 LVT is used for its scratch-resistant, cleanable surface. The darker color, small scale pattern tile was selected for the perimeter which helps create needed contrast between floors, walls, and countertops for geriatrics and some behavioral health patients. Mannington Teles rubber tile was selected for the core and staff work areas and was extended into the corridor to reduce both noise and walking leg fatigue. The simple color block pattern is a design nod to the mosaic tile wall in the lobby. Areas where fluid spills are a concern, such as trauma bays, soiled utility rooms, etc, Gerflor welded sheet product is installed with a flashed cove base.

The entire project team successfully executed on all levels. This is a wonderful facility and an example of a state-of-the-art healthcare facility for employees, patients, and their families.