Born of a desire to better serve its rapidly growing region, Stamford Health's new Hospital was conceived around three active verbs: embrace, care, and heal. The EYP Team designed the Hospital to balance high tech and human touch, blending efficiency and comfort to demystify medicine and create a healthy environment for patients, families, and staff.
With campus structures dating back 100 years, Stamford Health recognized the need for a larger, modern, well-equipped hospital. When completed, the new facility was the largest LEED healthcare project in the U.S. and the first in Connecticut.
Healing begins as soon as you arrive at the terracotta and glass hospital, filled with natural light, calming art, and stone and wood surfaces. Hospitals can be overwhelming, so the Team focused on creating a stress-reducing environment with noise control, water and fireplace features, terraces and gardens, and calming views. Ready to take a deep breath and collect yourself? There's a comfortable seat by the window.
To meet the need for speedy emergent care, the Team doubled the emergency department's capacity to 48,000 square feet. The ED now has two entrances — one for walk-ins and one for ambulances. A medical team immediately triages visitors.
In the first year, the time from arrival to bed for admitted patients decreased more than half, from 47 minutes in the old Hospital to 21 minutes in the new Hospital. And patients receive care two-times faster, from 41 minutes to 19 minutes.
Following the Planetree person-centered philosophy, the Hospital pivots around the patient. Each patient room has a pull-out couch and a private bathroom. Three nurses' stations per floor allow a direct line of sight into patient rooms. And medical staff have break and relaxation spaces inside and outside, translating into better care.
Stamford Hospital is healing, reimagined.
Building Facts
-
10 ORs with Surgical Suite Upgrades
-
24-Bed ICU
-
180 Private Rooms
-
647,000 GSF New Construction
-
LEED Healthcare Certified
-
Expanded ED and Pediatric ED
-
Pediatrics, Behavioral Health, Neurology, and Trauma Center
-
Heart Health and Vascular Institute
-
Bennett Cancer Center
-
Imaging, Robotic Surgery, and Research Labs
-
Helipad
Planetree Proud
Planetree is an approach to healthcare that puts people first; it’s person-centered care. But what does that mean in terms of design? Learn how Stamford Hospital uses Planetree Principles to connect patients, caregivers, families, and the community to create a holistic healthcare experience.
New Design, Increased Care
After one year, the new design of Stamford Hospital has enabled the hospital staff to care for an increasing number of emergency department patients.
An empathetic approach and commitment to never losing sight of the client's goals – to personalize, humanize, and demystify healthcare – enabled a collaboration among clinicians, administrators, and architects to 'reimagine healing' through the design of the New Stamford Hospital.
Tushar Gupta![]()
Not Only More Visitors, Less Wait Times
Arrival to Bed Time Decreased More than Half
47 minutes
Old Hospital
(FY 2016)
21 minutes
New Hospital
(FY 2017)
Patients Receive Care 2x Faster
41 minutes
Old Hospital
(FY 2016)
19 minutes
New Hospital
(FY 2017)
Largest LEED Healthcare Project in USA
Using low-flow plumbing fixtures in public restrooms and patient rooms, the project team was able to realize a reduction in water use of 31%. Submeters were installed for larger water use processes. Medical equipment is either closed-loop systems or minimizes use of water for cooling, via dry vacuum pumps, air-cooled compressors and digital x-ray equipment.
All energy systems were commissioned. The increased efficiency of the new central planet, LED lighting, and high-performance building envelope resulted in an overall energy reduction of 12.49%. Refrigerants for the building and equipment were chose to eliminate ozone depleting compounds. Renewable Energy Certificates were purchased to help offset the project's global warming impact.
With the Stamford Hospital campus having structures that date back 100 years, the system recognized the need for a larger hospital. Originally registered under LEED-NC, the project's registration was changed to the newly-released LEED for Healthcare in 2013 to better reflect the occupant's needs. The project is the largest LEED for Healthcare project in the USA at the time of its certification and the first LEED for Healthcare project in Connecticut.
New Model for Healing
The new Stamford Hospital is the boldest healthcare initiative in Fairfield County's history. Stamford's new building is more than a state-of-the-art facility: it symbolizes their philosophy of patient- and family-centered care. Healing begins as soon as you arrive at the hospital. This is Healing Reimagined, as told by the Stamford leadership team.