![[DEV] Northwestern Design](https://nwd.dbkdev.com/wp-content/uploads/thegem/logos/logo_289e8d731117aaee05625594c89a1760_1x.png){kind=logo}
Awards
details
Northwestern Design is pleased to announce that its work with Stantec on the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center was recognized by the Woodwork Institute as the recipient of the Bernard B. Barber Jr. Award for Excellence. The award honors design professionals for projects where the interior or exterior architectural millwork is a predominant feature.
The Santa Clara Valley Medical Center on the South Bascom Avenue campus is a perfect example of the newest health care trend, which focuses on the most updated care for patients and their families. The 367,000-square-foot, six-story facility offers 168 private patient rooms with more space to accommodate families. The new building also includes a rehabilitation therapy center, featuring aquatic therapy pools and a gym for those suffering from a brain or spinal cord injury or a stroke. The project also houses an indoor garden atrium, meditation room and support offices.
The project was a collaborative design effort, involving many different materials. Teams worked to bring different tolerances of wood, plastics and steel together to not only create a unified look, but to offer a durable, warm and acoustically-friendly atmosphere. Bamboo wall paneling, with an inch thick of insulation, was used to maximize the acoustics throughout the facility giving the public areas an inviting feel.
The amount of work and intricate detail that went into designing each single occupancy patient room featured the latest and most advanced casework technology in the custom wardrobes, headboards and patient care cabinets. The tall, double-sided patient care cabinets are the featured casework piece in each of the rooms. The cabinets are designed so the nursing staff can restock supplies without disturbing patients inside the rooms. These cabinets include double-acting drawers, which are lockable from both sides.
Hospital guests who enter the impressive indoor garden atrium are welcomed by uniquely-crafted benches spread throughout the space. A link slat wall for privacy stands on one side of the lobby. The benches and slat wall offer a quiet space for those seeking solitude, while also giving the area plenty of character.
NWD is honored to receive recognition for its work with Stantec on this project.
General Contractor – Turner Construction Company
Architect – Stantec
What Clients Appreciate Most
We are known for more than the finished product. Clients value the communication, follow-through, and steady support that helps demanding projects move forward with less friction and more confidence.Northwestern Design provided a quality product and installation for the San Mateo High School Performing Arts Center. The most beneficial asset they brought to the project was their ability to problem‐solve. There were numerous design challenges on this complicated project which included curved wood railings throughout the theater, wood veneer wainscot, casework and countertops. Much of their work required coordination with other subcontractors ranging from the electricians to specialty theatrical subcontractors, such as the orchestra pit lift contractor. Ultimately, these efforts resulted in a beautiful and functional theater for the community of San Mateo.
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for Northwestern Design for the work completed at the Lower Sproul Student Community Center in Berkeley, CA.
Northwestern Design (NWD) provided and installed quality architectural woodwork in (3) Buildings at the UC Berkeley, Lower Sproul Student Community Center. The black walnut they provided weaves through multiple buildings and unifies both old and new spaces, creating beauty and interest. They were responsive and solution-oriented, and assisted in making the architect’s interior vision become reality.
It would be a pleasure to work with NWD again based upon the results achieved at the Lower Sproul Student Community Center.
Architectural millwork was an important facet of the interior design as it plays such a big part in the overall impression of interiors. Aesthetics, durability and sustainability were all considered when designing the millwork and selecting materials. Modular, prefabricated metal casework units were used in the back of house clinical areas for cost efficiency, durability and future flexibility. Furniture systems were used in repetitive reception areas for adaptability and future flexibility. This strategy allowed the team to concentrate and customize the millwork in the more visible areas or those areas where departments had specialized needs. Unique laminates that combine natural veneers with a laminate substrate such as Treefrog, and new synthetic materials such and 3-Form Chroma were introduced for added aesthetic effect. These materials required special care, expertise, and fabrication, and also required non-typical hardware such as point support brackets be integrated into the millwork detailing. Design elements such as the children’s “crawl holes” in waiting areas and “corridor respite alcoves” are a couple of areas that exemplify the special attention to design, detailing, and fabrication and the integration of art and millwork, as well as millwork as art.