Nestled in the heart of the Capital City of Hamilton, Vision Bermuda is accessible by the free public transportation and provides screening, training, and support for the vision impaired community.

Vision Bermuda Gets a New Home

The island of Bermuda has one of the highest diabetes rates in the world which can lead to blindness.   Dennis Kowal Architects is helping ease the situation working with Vision Bermuda and  creating a facility that provides assessments, training, appliances and social networking for the visually impaired for the residents of  Bermuda.

Located in the capital city of Hamilton, the design was based on the climate, the client’s needs, the unique architecture of Bermuda, and protection against hurricanes, wind and the salty environment.  Phase One will consist of renovations to the existing facility (sans tower).   Dennis Kowal Architects are working with the people of Bermuda and the zoning officials to fully capture the needs and regulations affecting this quadrant of this renewal zone. Local Architect Ian Gordon and General Contractor Patrick Caton are currently in the process of demolition work on the site preparing for the start of construction.

Dennis Kowal (center) presents the features of the new facility to the Hamilton Corporation President. Scented herb gardens, outdoor grilling, tot play and learn center and mobilization training obstacles are all part of the site plan.

All the Comforts of Home – a new Skilled Nursing Facility

 

New premium rooms at the Eastern Star Skilled Nursing Facility are designed with a home-like interior.  Deep sills for plants and gifts, valances for drapes and blinds, and super-insulated walls for comfort provide a cozy environment for residents. 

“We want beautiful new rooms for our patients.” The priorities of this non-profit were clear.   Dennis Kowal Architects created a masterplan for expansion, designs for new living areas, and three new wings for occupancy.  Many studies were developed until the perfect dimensions, finishes and proportions were found for the bedrooms.   Sunlight for health, window seats for views and easy to clean fabrics to soften the walls, all combine to create the beauty and privacy desired.

The next challenge of the project was to meet zoning and building regulations for this site bounded by single family residences.  Traffic, utilities, land acquisition and zoning restrictions were all adeptly addressed and the project was built with no variances.  DKA also helped with the fund raising presentations, neighborhood relations, and cost estimating to provide a construction ready package for the design-build construction firm.

Renovated rooms, new rooms, and common areas blend into an integrated facilty.

The wings were designed for maximum exposure to views and conformance to the hilltop site.  Outdoor plazas, gardens and walking areas flow seamlessly into the one story facility.

DENNIS KOWAL ARCHITECTS is changing the face of Healthcare!

Hospital or Hotel?

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Checking into the New Transitional Care Unit at Bayonne Medical Center is not unlike registering at a nice hotel complete with pendant lighting and a generous counters.

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“Can you make it feel like we are in a spa and less a hospital?” was the request of staff in the renovations of the Transitional Care Unit.  Pivotal to the elevator arrival and central to the floor plan, the nurses’ station would set the tone for the entire floor.   A “peaceful” solution included a transition from a lot of little elements to larger and less elements.   For example,  walls which had been covered in numerous decorations and notices, were quieted with large pieces of art which harmonized with the new color scheme.   The heavy crash rails at the front of the nurses’ desk were replaced with scratch resistant panels imbedded with real leaves and calming colors.  The existing soffit was highlighted with tangerine coloring and new art glass lights to create a focal point away from the harsher “hospital lighting” and the old telephone booths were converted to a media center and brochure rack to remove the barriers of displays and hand-outs that once lined the desk.

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The small BEFORE photos show the wear and tear this nurses station received.  The completed project provides durable materials that are easy to clean and maintain.

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The color scheme and new brown linoleum flooring resulted from matching the wood tones in the patient room floors which were required to remain.  To encourage patients to walk as part of their therapy,  a brochure was devised that describes the new wall art.  Patients are asked to match a list of artwork titles to the piece it best describes.  The entire floor needed to be renovated in 90 days, and the key to the renovation was not changing a lot of the structure including the pre-wired nurses’ desk walls.  New quartz counter tops, furniture and finishes made a quick transition easy, reduced waste, minimized dust and eliminated noise and shuffling additional parts through the hospital.

To further calm the space, every other 2’ x 2’ corridor light was replaced with a pendant fixture wrapped in an art metal design of branches to relate to the trees in the wall art.  These fixtures were put on a second circuit to allow staff to reduce the ambient lighting when possible.    When the newly renovated floor was opened three months later, the staff could not believe the transition and how “serene and relaxed” it now felt.

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DENNIS KOWAL ARCHITECTS is changing the face of Health Care.

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Lessons from Nicaragua

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DENNIS KOWAL ARCHITECTS designed this new health care facility in the village of Masaya, Nicaragua outside of the capital city of Managua using strategies for resilient design.  This approach allows the facility to function without electricity while relying on natural building systems.

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Designing a new healthcare facility in Nicaragua is much different than in the United States.  But the US can learn lessons from a third world country where electric is spotty, contamination is likely, and water is untreated.   When a disaster like Superstorm Sandy strands eleven States without power, many US healthcare facilities like the NYU Medical Center were crippled and couldn’t function.    However, Dennis Kowal Architects (DKA) applied the principals of “resilient” architecture to their healthcare facility design in Managua, Nicaragua.  Since power failures are common, DKA designed the facility to use natural ventilation and natural lighting.  To reduce the risk of cross-contamination, another very common occurrence, DKA created outdoor waiting rooms open to the air but covered from the sun thus reducing the chance of contact and airborne contamination.  The interior walls have an application of plaster that naturally contains calcium hydroxide, a mineral that resists the growth of bacteria while providing a durable and easy to clean surface.   Kowal explained: “in essence, the facility takes care of itself, especially during a natural disaster”.

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High  window openings in the exam rooms ensure privacy yet allow light and air to naturally circulate.  A large covered, but open,  atrium at the center of the complex creates a natural ventilation stack for all of the surrounding rooms.  The atrium brings light and air into the rooms that ring the courtyard and simultaneously creates an outdoor waiting room.  A landscaped courtyard surrounds the facility to allow the families a place to play while a family member is receiving treatment; at night the same wall provides security.

 

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Some of the children that have been treated by the doctors of Caring Partners International using temporary facilities,  pose for the camera.  Others may walk all night (as did this woman assisted by her grand-daughter) to get to a care center.  Existing conditions can be dirty, dusty and contaminated by animal waste and garbage dumps.  Ubiquitous volcanic ash often covers the village in dust (see photo of girl in dress).  The new medical facility provides a clean, healthy, and resilient environment as well as a model of sanitation for the villagers to follow.

 

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Planning the healthcare facility on-site in Nicaragua is only the first step in a master plan for a new village.  Dennis Kowal Architects met with local doctors to select the site, visited with the mayor to solidify support and caucused with nurses and staff to design the facility.  Local Architectural student, Maria, helped with translation of the complex medical and architectural terms.   Since the site is near an active volcano, resistance to earthquake forces factors into all of the reinforced concrete construction in the area.

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DKA worked with local architects to assess the building materials, climate, and standards of construction.  A low impact design was desired that could operate during a disaster.    Above, Maria (a student of architecture) was also a translator for Dennis Kowal Architects as they interviewed the doctors and patients to design a facility that would meet their needs but also provide a resilient design. 

 

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While many developed countries are still reeling from the many natural disasters that have occurred, lessons can be learned from our third world neighbors who daily face a world without power, public transportation, or central air conditioning.  Beyond sustainable design which minimizes the impact on the environment, DKA understands the simple principals of natural systems that can adapt and survive during periods of stress, loss and disaster.

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“Dennis Kowal Architects designs buildings that are resilient and can take care of themselves in a disaster.”

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Taking Health Care to the next level

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This hospital room was designed to coordinate all finishes, colors and materials such as the Stryker Bed headboard, wall art and flooring.  Furthermore, many of the materials, finishes, hardware and fabric are specially designed to naturally kill germs for the life of the products.

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One of the first hospital renovations under the new Health Care Law has been completed at the Bayonne Medical Center.   Seamless surfaces, products that naturally fight bacteria between housecleaning cycles, and new standards for patient comfort have guided this project.  Upon seeing the new Transitional Care Unit, nurses remarked “Oh my gosh, this place is awesome,  it feels like a hotel room!”   Two husband and wife teams from Dennis Kowal Architects made the transformation possible.  Project Manager Steven Malyszka was responsible for the project from estimating through construction while his graphic designer wife, Anna Malyszka attended to details like the new patient information boards which were custom designed to fit into the floating foot walls.    And principal designer Dennis Kowal brought some of the latest concepts in hospital design to the project while his interior designer wife, Susan Kowal coordinated all of the finishes, hospital equipment, fabrics and interior design.     The foursome produced an integrated project which unites artwork, drapery, graphics and all of the Department of Health required features that assure security, sanitation, privacy and cleanliness.

Dennis Kowal Architects has specialized in the design for the health community for thirty years completing many medical facilities from doctor’s offices to thallium imaging centers.  The project at Bayonne Medical Center breaks new ground by tailoring the design features to raise the HCAHPS scores (patient supplied grading that affect hospital health care reimbursements).   Features such as reduced glare, sound absorbing flooring, and surfaces that fight the spread of infection directly improve patient satisfaction.   Another feature of the design was to detail all of the construction so that it could be accomplished within 90 days; the maximum amount of time that the hospital could afford to close the floor for renovation.

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Adjustable chairs serve the many nursing shifts while undercounter lighting reduces patient glare.		Visitors are greeted by trendy pendant lighting and cast resin panels that contain imbedded dried ginko leaves.   The flooring is anti-microbial and sound deadening while the counter tops are durable cast quartz.
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This new dayroom serves both as a common dining area and recreation room. The comfortable chairs can stack out of the way when not needed.		The new facility is barrier-free, low maintenance, and durable.  Complete with acrylic panels that are both decorative and scratch resistant.
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The patient footwall has become a restful combination of natural reeds cast into an acrylic panel complemented by adjustable window mesh that blocks out the sun’s rays while allowing a translucent views to the outside.  Note how the visitor chair folds neatly out of the way.		This custom graphic on the patient footwall helps patients remember their room number, phone number, schedule and even helps describe their comfort level.
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Small details were used to create a residential feeling in the hospital.   Indirect lighting, drapes, and  patterned privacy curtains add warmth to the patient rooms while wall hooks for visitor chairs, day chairs that convert to sleepers and niches for bulletins and notices keep the floor and wall consuming elements to a minimum.    Interior designer, Susan Kowal, remarked “Natural light, an uncluttered room and clean lines all figure into the healing process.”

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The two tone wood theme is carried into the patient night stand giving a residential feel to the environment.   The floating table top allows the underneath storage and quick access of books and magazines without the loss of table space.

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Dennis Kowal Architects takes health care design to the next level.

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Design for the Multi-impaired; not your father’s hospital!

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Many subtleties were used to make this maintenance-free dormitory and school for the multiply impaired look like a residence and not a hospital; notice that the window side-lites look like shutters, notice the gabled roofs and copper gutters, and see how the use of porches, railings, and chimneys changes the scale and approachability of the building.

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When asked to design a prototype for a facility for multiply impaired children, Dennis Kowal Architects created a two-level house-like facility and even added a two car garage that acts as a covered ambulance transport during emergencies and as a weather-enclosed recreation room the remainder of the time.  The St. Joseph’s Sisters of Peace operate Concordia House as a school and dormitory for children with both blindness and other disabilities.  Their desire was a non-institutional building that provided warmth and comfort to the children and their visiting families.

A number of ground-breaking ideas were incorporated into the design including a two-tone wood trim way-finding which was stained to signal which floor you are on, touch and color panels to identify rooms when a child is unable to learn braille, and specially designed bathrooms that facilitate self-care.  A commercial kitchen serves the dining hall but the kitchen was conceived as a training kitchen as well, with low-height baking stations and a dine-in area for the students to enjoy.

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. Ease of access and safety were high priorities in the design which has four grade exits, an elevator, and extra wide corridors.	.                                 .	. The lattice theme and playful green tiles add a little fun to this facility for blind and disabled children.
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. A welcoming interior is used by both family and students.  Some of the senses are stimulated by various themes such as the fireplace, exterior rain chains, an herb garden and a “greenhouse lobby”.		.These hospital-width corridors appear friendly due to the carpet patterns, wall sconces, and comforting wood trim.
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.For those with partial vision, dark stained doors identify the lower level and light doors with dark trim identify the upper level.		Inserts next to each bedroom door have uniquely different colors and textures so that the most severely impaired students can still identify their room.

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Natural light, plants, and a variety of locations to train for cooking, cleaning, and independent living are combined in this 17 bed facility.

 

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Dennis Kowal Architects is an advocate for the developmentally disabled and designs for their needs.

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