Crossroads Center for Health is a general medical practice group, which has existed on the Oregon Pike in Brownstown, PA for some time.
This quality healthcare provider, associated with the Ephrata Community Hospital, had outgrown its 5,500 square foot facility. The challenge confronting the medical group was to provide quality services for a growing geographical area, while remaining in an easily accessible, centrally located facility like the one they currently occupy.
The medical group and Ephrata Community Hospital selected Benchmark Construction Co., Inc. as their development partner. With a strong background in healthcare construction and a good knowledge of the requirements of a new medical facility, Benchmark quickly provided a suitable site. The site selected provided the central location and the accessibility required, however, it was not without its challenges.
Located on the south side of Oregon Pike, between D&E Communications and Benchmark Construction Corporate Headquarters, the property was five feet below the roadway elevation. The team wanted the building to make a strong statement and presentation to the road and traveling public. To achieve this, a two-story building was designed with the second floor entry on the roadside and the first floor entry on the rear side. This strategy required filling the property between the front of the building and the road with excess earth. This technique provided the building a presence above the roadway, giving it an appearance as strong and proud as its neighbors.
This strategy itself created the challenge of providing light to all of the first floor spaces on the south side of the building. To meet this, Benchmark provided retaining walls that created light ways to the windows on the first floor.
To further enhance the strong image of the facility, an entry tower constructed of brick and architectural precast with a pitched standing seam metal roof presents itself to the entry of the site. Independent letters with backlit fluorescent lighting identify the facility with text that appears to be floating above the main entry in front of the entry tower brick walls.
All mechanical units, including air handlers and exhaust fans, are hidden in a valley
created behind the pitched roof. This area is easily accessible by an access ladder and hatchway from the second floor.
Storm water management is provided at the rear of the property. The large oval shaped retention pond was sized to handle the requirements of the project, plus additional pass through water identified by the Township engineer. To creatively handle this requirement and fit the paving, green space, and building, a sixteen-foot concrete retaining wall serves as one side of the pond and a parking control device on its other side. Creating a vertical pond side developed additional water capacity without reducing the overall development area.
This 25,000 square foot facility is built on two equal floors. Crossroads Center for Health occupies all 12,500 square feet of the second floor. Ephrata Community Hospital affiliates, Imaging, Rehab Services and Behavioral Health Services occupy the 12,500 square feet of the first floor.
The members of this team are extremely proud of their collaborative efforts in creating a first class healthcare facility that meet all the project design criteria. This facility provides all the cutting edge technology and design features for a state-of-the-art medical center, while overcoming existing conditions, which without consideration may have limited the performance of the facility.
Crossroads Center for Health is a general medical practice group, which has existed on the Oregon Pike in Brownstown, PA for some time.