Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital (SRH) is a nationally-recognized hospital providing acute rehabilitation care and is a part of the Partners Healthcare network. The new building in Charlestown replaces the 35-year-old facility at Nashua Street and features 132 private patient rooms and greatly expands upon amenities for patients, families and staff. The building is a direct result of extensive master planning exercises we conducted from 2005-2008. The master plan process examined renovation and expansion at the existing site and a new facility on a new site, which was the final option chosen by SRH and Partners. We have conceptualized the new SRH building and campus as a therapeutic tool for patients. Located on the City Harborwalk, the site is an extension of the community and has dedicated 75% of the first floor to public accommodation. The hospital also includes outpatient services, a pool for aquatherapy, two large gymnasiums, an activities-of-daily-living suite, transitional patient apartment and satellite gyms embedded on two inpatient floors. Milestone markers in floor and paving patterns provide a means of measuring progress. Work areas and nurse stations are approachable and soft in shape, encouraging patient and family communication with staff. Universal accessibility is a key goal of the new facility.

SRH has a strong sustainable story beginning with the site itself. SRH is remediating a brownfield site, formerly a part of the Navy Yard, benefiting the environment and the Charlestown community. Gardens surrounding the building utilize native, drought-tolerant vegetation and provide therapeutic trails, bounce walls, a putting green and basketball half-court for patient use. During design development, the main floor level was raised one foot in anticipation of rising sea levels. The interior environment maximizes daylight and views, but balances this transparency with a high-performance building envelope. Gymnasiums, multi-purpose rooms and patient rooms utilize operable windows for both natural ventilation and passive survivability in an emergency situation. Green roofs mitigate stormwater runoff, reduce cooling loads and heat-island effect and provide therapeutic environments for building inhabitants.