For most owners, they know when it’s time to renovate and even construct a new building to keep pace with the growing demand or expand into new markets. The challenge is getting a clear road map to move forward – solid data that will help inform management decisions.

Involving an architect early in the ideation phase, through master planning can do three really powerful things for owners and management teams, such as: (1) help determine if the idea is the right one to meet organizational needs and goals; (2) uncover stronger solutions and opportunities; and (3) save a significant amount of time and money in the design and construction phase of a project.

Nelson Architects does a lot of work with hospitals and medical facilities, for example. Many are going through growing pains; needing to expand to meet the healthcare needs of local communities and to renovate to accommodate new technologies. For many CEOs and Boards, they are looking ahead 8-10 years; deciding whether to renovate or construct an entirely new facility can weigh heavily on minds and budgets – that’s where starting with a master plan is a brilliant first step.

A master plan serves as a blueprint for future growth and expansion of an organization and ties in directly with strategic business goals and plans. It can help to inform and educate boards, management teams, and community planners. A master plan includes analysis of needs, evaluation of opportunities and challenges, recommendations, and provides a framework for how the new project fits into the larger site/campus plan. It can include economic impacts on the organization as well as impacts to the surrounding community in terms of transportation, housing, jobs, and other factors that face growing communities.

A master plan can also be a great tool to generate support, create a shared vision, and even launch a fundraising campaign. This is especially critical for not-for-profit organizations that rely on community support and buy-in.

Master planning and design and construction can happen together.

Master planning and design and construction can happen together; as is the case in the work we are doing with a rural healthcare facility. There were a number of organizational elements we explored in their master plan, like determining a better location for the helipad in relationship to the emergency room, evaluating whether to build an ambulance garage onsite to forego the expense of leasing garage space offsite, and finding a better location for hospice (previously located near the helipad) to provide for maximum quiet and privacy. We also explored the cost-benefit of re-locating the Home and Medical Equipment retail space to the campus to increase service to patients and create staffing efficiencies. We also completed a full ‘global’ evaluation of their mechanical and electrical needs, making a number of recommendations that created safer and more efficient systems as well as freeing up valuable space for other services.

As the master planning continued, we were able to immediately begin construction on key areas, like re-designing the radiology department to handle more patients and accommodate new technology, modernizing patient rooms to increase aesthetics and integrate new technology, and remodeling administration offices. The master plan even led to renovating the main entry to visually redefine the building entrance and prompt facility wayfinding. Scheduling each phase of the project is critical to ensure the continuation of patient service.

We really enjoy working with owners helping them take complex and costly ventures and turning them into smart, manageable, cost-effective projects that can be phased to accommodate budgets while continuing to provide valuable customer services.

Nelson Architects is a full-service design and construction firm based out of Great Falls, Montana, with licenses to operate in eight states. They are experts in a variety of market sectors including commercial, healthcare, education, senior living and more. Nelson Architects provides owners with preliminary architectural reports including pre-design services and project feasibility, identification of funding sources and assistance in grant writing, full architectural design services from schematic design through construction administration, and evaluating construction methods and sequencing for projects ranging in construction costs from $25,000 up to $25 million. You can learn more about Nelson Architects at NelsonArchitects.com or contact us at info@NelsonArchitects.com.