The Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital creates a pivotal presence in the main public arrival zone at the Ohio State University Medical Center. In addition to its advanced cardiac care unit, it forms a crossroads among the general clinics, the main campus of the medical center, and a new 1,000-vehicle garage.

The new hospital, a five-story structure that is vertically expandable, offers 90 universal patient rooms, six operating rooms and six cardiac cath labs, supported by diverse diagnostic/treatment programs. On the entry level there is an auditorium and a boardroom suite, patient registration, and clinics. A light-filled atrium, oriented east into the arrival plaza and academic quad, synthesizes the functional programs by providing a dramatic arrival experience. There is direct linkage to the new garage and a high-image entry canopy and loggia.

The new building establishes a jewel-like presence on the medical center’s arrival plaza achieving a clear harmony and balance with the monumental scale of the existing loggia. The building’s materials and detail establish a visual connection with existing structures, providing a gentle transition to a highly technical and gracefully scaled façade.