WakeMed Cary Hospital Patient Tower Vertical Expansion

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WakeMed Health & Hospitals

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Cary, North Carolina

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94,000 SF

Modern medical facility interior with visitor elevator area and waiting lounge. A glass-walled entrance leads to a seating area with blue and gray chairs, wooden round tables, and large windows overlooking green trees. Two people are waiting near the elevators, and three people are seated in the lounge area, with artwork hanging on the walls.

The image shows a nurses' station or reception area in the WakeMed Cary Hospital. There's a main reception desk with a wooden base and light-colored countertop where a staff member in blue scrubs is working at a computer. To the right, another staff member in blue is at a separate workstation. Above the hallway, there's a directional sign that reads

Private patient room inside the WakeMed Cary Hospital with a standard hospital bed on wheels. The left side of the room has floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the surrounding community that allows natural light to flood into the space. A woman is seated on the couch in front of the windows and she is talking to a standing doctor in a white lab coat with a clipboard.

The image shows a close-up view of the design elements in a reception area in the WakeMed Cary Hospital. Suspended wood ceilings with lights, a textured glass wall, decorative wood accents on walls, and modern seating area with high-end blue furniture contribute to a modern feel. The room has clean, modern design with neutral colors and a large picture of a fountain with lighting behind it, giving it a glowing illusion.

Close up view looking up at the WakeMed Cary Hospital, a modern multi-story medical facility building with red brick and white exterior with large glass windows. The closeness of this image allows one to appreciate the architectural design elements.

Expanding WakeMed Cary Hospital for Future Growth

The WakeMed Cary Hospital expansion is a two-story vertical addition designed to enhance patient care while ensuring seamless integration with the existing hospital. This project, led by BSA, adds 40 acute-care beds and includes shell space for future hospital renovations and growth. As the third addition to the facility, both the interior and exterior architecture merge WakeMed’s branding with an upgraded aesthetic.

Rather than simply duplicating the existing Level 3 inpatient unit, our design team worked closely with hospital stakeholders to reevaluate their inpatient unit needs and optimize space utilization. These improvements resulted in an updated footprint. The new design features:

Daylit gathering area near the new visitor elevators.
Six nursing neighborhoods designed to maximize workflow efficiency and limit care team steps.
Uniform patient rooms with 25% more usable space than previous designs.

Additionally, patient rooms integrate floor-to-ceiling windows to enhance natural light exposure and promote healing environments.

Enhanced Wayfinding and Hospital Renovations

Key upgrades also include two new visitor elevators centrally positioned within the expansion. As a result, these elevators triggered a hospital-wide renovation to further enhance navigation across all levels. This includes:

New finishes for main public corridors emphasizing wayfinding to and from the main entrance and cafeteria.
Enclosing a double-height atrium on Levels 2 and 3
Redesigning visitor arrival and waiting areas for ICU and existing medical and surgical inpatient units.

BSA’s Continued Commitment to Healthcare Excellence

The healthcare interior design services provided by BSA focused on creating a hospitality-inspired environment that balances warmth with high-performance safety measures. Wood accents, terrazzo-look flooring, saturated color schemes, and textured wall protection elevate the user experience while maintaining sustainable hospital design principles.

BSA has been a trusted healthcare architecture firm for WakeMed since 2005, originally designing the hospital’s first vertical expansion. This latest project underscores BSA’s expertise in hospital system design, ensuring modernized healthcare solutions that adapt to the evolving needs of patients, staff, and visitors.

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Disciplines

Architecture, Interior Design, Planning

Awards

2021 Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Carolina Chapter: Healthcare $25-50M Construction Cost

Project Contact

Kenyon Worrell

WakeMed Cary Hospital Patient Tower Vertical Expansion

Expanding WakeMed Cary Hospital for Future Growth

Enhanced Wayfinding and Hospital Renovations

BSA’s Continued Commitment to Healthcare Excellence

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