El Centro Regional Medical Center – Ancillary Services Building

Overview

As part of California Seismic Mandate SB-1953, Mascari Dinh Architects recently completed a new 2-story, 30,000 square foot, I-2 Occupancy ground-up Ancillary Hospital Building in El Centro, California for El Centro Regional Medical Center. The facility provides required basic service functions including pharmacy, central sterile, material management, dietary services, morgue, administration, and medical records.

The project’s architectural style has the feel of desert modernism, set in the desert floor and arid landscape with mountain views that surround the valley. The dramatic shadows play off the geometry which is rectangular and incorporates an open courtyard between the existing hospital and new ground-up expansion; this provides open space and landscape between the buildings, as well as allowing natural light to filter into the building along the primary interior circulation and dietary seating. The color and materials blend with the surroundings; the muted, neutral earthy colors reflect the sun-bleached hues and tones of the desert.