Project Title: Hospice of Southern Maine

Firm: SMRT Architects and Engineers

Submitted for Consideration in: Architecture, Interiors

Client: Hospice of Southern Maine

Location: Scarborough, Maine

Project-At-a-Glance:
The new Home Hospice Center stitches together four houses to support workplace and clinical teams, training for simulations, bereavement services, community space and education. Sustainability was a primary focus and as a result this building is predicated to be net positive.

Project Narrative:

The design of the new Home Hospice Center, blending approachable and home-inspired with therapeutic and professional, exemplifies the trust and confidence placed in the Hospice of Southern Maine by families and the community alike seeking quality and compassionate end-of-life care. The design stitches together four gabled peaks to create one unified structure, consolidating staff workspace with community grief counseling services previously housed in separate locations and allowing enhanced collaboration while respecting privacy needs. The exterior cladding and colors reflect the warmth and simplicity found in Maine’s coastal traditions, while quilts and weaving with inviting colors and textures intended to soothe and comfort inspire the interior. Its functional, flexible workspace layouts support Hospice’s collaborative, team-oriented approach to its mission of providing in home care. Thoughtfully programmed adjacencies accommodate a variety of users: traveling staff who return regularly to discuss and plan patient care, grieving families seeking bereavement services, as well as members of the public seeking information about hospice services or community event space. The open concept design features an abundance of natural light and anticipates Hospice’s need to adapt and continue to grow. Sustainability was a key design priority, encompassing on-site solar energy, geothermal wells, and energy efficient LED lighting throughout the project. As another form of giving back to the community and the environment, the building is predicted to be net positive and will transfer any additional power, produced by the solar panels, to the Hospice of Southern Maine Gosnell Memorial House. This new facility will serve as home to clinicians and staff for many years to come, balancing the familiar comforts of home yet embracing contemporary technologies that support innovative care.