Hospital parking garage: Security with appeal

Southern California’s Camp Pendleton, the largest military training facility on the West Coast, recently opened a new 500,000-square-foot hospital to serve members of the military, replacing an outdated 1960s-era facility. The design incorporates elements to make it a healing and soothing space from the start of the patient’s visit to the day he or she leaves.

In addition to inpatient services, the hospital has a physical and occupational therapy clinic with more than 75,000 patient visits each year. With so many people coming and going each day, convenient parking is essential. A new four-story parking garage and surface lots have more than doubled the number of parking spots to 2,500.

But the new parking garage isn’t just about more stalls for cars. It, too, was designed to establish a sense of calm even before a patient enters the hospital. To help achieve this, Orange, Calif.-based Bapko Metal Inc., the project fabricator, chose Banker Wire Metal Mesh for the railings and multi-level partitions in the garage. The woven wire mesh lets natural light flow throughout the structure, complerments its green and blue accents and doesn’t block the ocean views. The mesh was also used on staircases, walkways and a pedestrian bridge to provide security while complementing the serene aesthetic of the design.

Wire mesh also proved to be a smart environmental choice. The hospital is projected to earn LEED-gold certification, and the mesh, composed of 80 to 85 percent post-consumer and 12 to 18 percent pre-consumer recycled steel, will contribute to LEED credits. For details, visit www.bankerwire.com.