Faculty Office Center

The result is a hospitality-inspired destination that prioritizes choice and well-being while optimizing valuable hospital real estate. Operating on a membership basis — where faculty members forgo a private office for access to a thoughtfully designed shared environment — the model delivers significant space savings compared to traditional office assignments. 

The ability to either decompress alone or collaborate with colleagues is integral to the Faculty Office Center’s design. It offers both private, reservable offices as well as lounges, meeting rooms and open workspaces. Sought after amenities include meditation rooms, showers and hotel-like hospitality. The Faculty Office Center boasts its own staff that provides onsite support as well as a team that prepares healthy, customizable meals for faculty members working long hours. 

Other unique design and operational strategies include: 

• Nature-inspired design: Many design elements, such as curved wall forms, smooth and reflective surfaces to mimic water, wood tones and natural stone aim to create a serene, forest-like environment.  Natural cloud patterns and tree canopy-inspired dappled light are translated by means of a backlit, perforated ceiling creating a soft, calming atmosphere throughout.  From the very moment of arrival, with a view of a birch forest setting beyond a translucent glass wall, the goal was for physicians to feel an immediate sense of relaxation and an oasis.  
• Reliable private workspaces: Because Faculty Center members do not have assigned offices, they need plenty of private areas to work, rest or even take a personal phone call. Physicians can select the room type that meets their needs and reserve ahead of time using an in-house app. This is especially beneficial for hospitalists who often lack access to private work areas. 
• Non-clinical aesthetic: The design follows a very intentional shift away from clinical care settings to create an immersive, calming atmosphere. In addition to biophilic forms and finishes, the Faculty Center’s planning was designed to feel natural and unexpected. Meandering paths are complemented by nature-inspired wayfinding as well as curved ceilings and flooring finishes that guide circulation throughout the space.
  

• Design for recharge: From amenities to lighting, the space was informed by research to create opportunities for faculty members to recharge. For example, occupant-controlled lighting color settings in quiet rooms allow users to customize a regenerative wellness experience. Hospitality-inspired spaces for fitness, meditation and showers enable busy physicians to incorporate well-being and personal care seamlessly. 
• Purposeful materials: Healthier materials and lower embodied carbon products were prioritized throughout the finish selection process. As a result, it features interior materials with fewer toxins and a reduced carbon footprint to support both human and environmental health and wellness. 
  

Through this shared environment, clinicians have access to a more elevated experience close to their patient care spaces. The Faculty Office Center manages to optimize real estate and allows for clinical expansion for Northwestern Medicine while also creating an amenity-rich space that promotes overall well-being.