Palomar Hospital - Escondido, California
Palomar Hospital, otherwise known as "The Hospital on the Hill" is one of the country's largest, and most technologically advanced hospitals in the world. It was designed to be very open with garden spaces and healing views. We set out to design a chapel that would continue that inspiration and embrace nature, so our design concept is a clearing in a forest. Given that the hospital is so modern, we wanted the chapel to provide a familiar respite and take advantage of the peaceful scenery to the north.
Most hospital chapels are small and can only be used by one or two people at a time. We realized the sheer number of beds and the diverse religious beliefs of the community required a chapel that could serve several people at the same time. Our layout is organized such that the chapel has number of sub-spaces which can be utilized concurrently by several different users including a gallery area, kneeling space and private consultation room.
Adjoining the chapel, is a resource center which includes a large seminar room, small conference room and ample storage. These spaces can be utilized by a number of different user groups. Anticipated use includes staff and patient education, meetings and chaplain services.