UC Davis Health - Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute

Integrating User Perspective: Designing for the Vision Impaired

The overall design goal of the new Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building at the University of California Davis Medical Center was a carefully balanced integration of a partial building renovation with a major new building addition.

Working closely with the physician clients, we were able to provide a unique perspective through a strong focus on empathy. Our design team included Chris Downey, a well-known blind architect. Through him, we were able to learn ways of experiencing spaces and evaluating our design from the perspective of someone with sight impairment, as many visitors to the new Eye Center will be.

We consolidated and relocated the entry to a single position at the building corner and organized all the clinic waiting and reception areas off a unified circulation spine running the length of the building, seamlessly connecting the clinics in the new building with those in the renovated areas. Total flexibility is provided through standardized room sizes for multiple functions, as they can be reconfigured over time by shifting their extents along this spine.

The building invites a great deal of natural light into the outer patient waiting areas, as well as into clinical staff work rooms and academic offices. At the same time, special inner sub-waiting rooms are programmed for dim-lighting for patients whose eyes are dilated.

A dedicated pediatric ophthalmology space is brightly colored and dotted with whimsical art that creates a non-intimidating experience for our youngest patients. The suite has a playroom and bathroom facility integrated into a secure waiting area and special 20-foot exam lanes that provide the distance required for pediatric-specific visual acuity measurements.

As one of the premier academic ophthalmology centers in the country, the facility is flexible and resilient, accommodating changes in care models and services offered for decades to come.

The collaborative design-build project, led by McCarthy Building Companies as general contractor, brought together HGA as the executive architect, managing the project and leading architectural design, with partner firm TEF’s committed involvement in early overall project conceptualization, as well as leading the programming, interior design and planning.

The design of Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building has obtained LEED Gold certification and the partial renovation of the existing Ambulatory Care Center has obtained LEED Silver certification.