Developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the newly completed, two-building health care facility presents an example of the Community-Based Healthcare Clinics program that started in the late 1990s and produces primary-care facilities that are more conveniently located to the growing number of veterans than the large regional Veterans Affairs hospitals in major cities.
The 10,225-square-foot (950-m2) clinic replaces a 4,000-square-foot
(372-m2) facility and employs 80 doctors, nurses and support staff. The community-based clinics improve appointment scheduling, offer more diverse services and eliminate dependence on using military-base health care in Tampa for the estimated 50,000 eligible veterans who reside in the county.
Based on 100 square feet (9 m) per person, the plan provides 19 exam rooms around the perimeter that can also serve as offices, a medical procedures room, a spacious lobby and three registration stations. The building’s core area features double-loaded corridors for access/egress to administrative offices, a pharmaceutical distribution suite and support space.
“The developer wanted a metal building because the clear span capability created a more flexible interior space to accommodate any possible tenant change,” said Crystal N. Lester, LEED AP, with Furr & Wegman, the architect on the project.
Butler Manufacturing supplied the Widespan structural system with an MR-24 standing-seam metal roof system and block walls with a stucco finish. The second building is devoted to mental health patients and is a mirror image of the first. It reflects the same design and materials, in addition to being designed to the Florida Building Code for a 110-mph wind load zone.
Builder: Rodda Construction, Lakeland
Architect: Furr & Wegman Architects PA, Lakeland
Metal building: Butler Manufacturing, Kansas City, Mo.
