The new Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building consolidates all of the nationally ranked UC Davis Health Eye Center’s strengths under one roof, including optometry and ophthalmology patient care, clinical research and training, and departmental offices. Designed by the national multi-disciplinary firm, HGA, in partnership with San Francisco design firm TEF— the facility is a carefully balanced integration of a partial renovation of the center’s existing Ambulatory Care Center (ACC) with a major new addition. The resulting 78,500-square-foot building reserves a floor of clinics for general medical center use, as an expansion of the ACC, and includes 64,160 square feet of space dedicated to Eye Center operations, including physician offices and conference areas.

From the exterior, the design establishes a strong identity for the Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building, unique within the medical campus context and distinct from the adjoining ACC. Striving to balance both comfort and inspiration, the warm, nature-toned exterior materials at the base and dynamically folding clear glass curtainwall above create a welcoming and uplifting environment. Intuitive design solutions start with the arrival experience at the Eye Center’s multi-story glass entry, located on the prominent building corner.

Inside the Eye Center, the clinic reception and waiting areas are located off of a unified circulation spine running the length of the building, aiding with wayfinding and seamlessly connecting the clinics in the new building with those in the renovated areas. This solution also takes advantage of the access to nature with the circulation spine running parallel to an exterior landscaped promenade. This strong spatial organization strategy—along with the use of standardized, multi-functional room sizes—provides the additional benefit of total flexibility for the Eye Center’s clinics, allowing the particular program extents to be reconfigured to their needs over time.

The design approach started with close collaboration with the Eye Center’s clinicians and scientists to understand their unique needs and to establish critical criteria for designing the space. The team of consultants included architect Chris Downey, who lost his sight in 2008 and has since dedicated his career to enriching the environment for the vision impaired. Downey’s insights were key to HGA’s and TEF’s implementation of empathic design principles, as he shared important information with the team on the ways in which the vision impaired engage with spaces, evaluating the design from a perspective similar to many who will ultimately interact with it. The resulting patient-focused design for the new Eye Center offers a comfortable and intuitive experience for all.

High-contrast colors and textures throughout the building support better wayfinding and natural-diffused, filtered daylighting aids the sight-impaired patient population, some of whom have their eyes dilated during their visit. Wayfinding elements including natural materials and daylighting contribute to the legibility of the Eye Center’s patient and physician circulation, reducing patient anxiety and measurably improving health outcomes. Common spaces with home-like furnishings radiate comfort and inspire patients throughout their visit and patterns and views that connect patients with nature bring biophilia into the space.