Sarasota Memorial Hospital–Venice

Project Highlights: Sarasota Memorial Hospital—Venice

• Architecture firm: Flad Architects
• Owner: Sarasota Memorial Health Care System
• Location: Venice, Fla.
• Category: B
• Project site: Not previously developed
• Building program type(s): Healthcare - hospital inpatient

Sarasota Memorial Hospital—Venice is a new source of high-quality medical services for the growing population of Venice, Florida. As the first inpatient facility off of its central campus, the new hospital bolsters Sarasota Memorial Health Care System’s commitment to innovative care and is the system’s most significant expansion in nearly a century.

One of the largest healthcare providers in Florida, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is renowned for the advanced care it provides across its elegant spaces. This new five-story hospital, both gracious and inviting, builds on that brand while also extending the reach of the system’s top-ranked emergency and medical services. As it embarked on creating a new greenfield hospital campus, the system aimed to create a full-service hospital reflective of its existing post-war architectural style that could be easily navigated and expanded, if needed.

The resulting hospital includes 110 private patient rooms, medical and surgical care rooms, an intensive care unit, and women’s health services. Its surgical center features eight leading-edge operating rooms, including two C-section rooms and two cardiac catheterization labs. A medical office is connected to the hospital, offering direct access to outpatient services to improve overall patient care and physician accessibility. Perhaps most important, the master plan for the facility allows it to more than triple its current size through two additional patient towers planned for the rear of the hospital, avoiding any disruption to the main entrance and patient experience. Because of overall demand and the closure of a competing hospital, construction of one of those towers is underway and expected to open in late 2024.

The team carefully considered the patient’s journey through the hospital, including the period before they enter it. Thoughtful site planning and highly visible entry points offer clarity for patients and visitors and help alleviate distress. As they enter the expansive, double-height lobby, patients, families, and visitors are directed to registration, imaging, and surgical services, while food and nutrition amenities remain within view.

A central courtyard across from the main entrance is enlivened by a lit water feature with outdoor seating—a central landmark visible from the hospital’s primary exterior and interior corridors. Check-in desks, waiting areas, places of respite, and vertical circulation points are scattered along the interior paths, where serpentine lighting coves flow from the lobby to various departments. The lighting, in addition to shaping a pleasant atmosphere, reinforces the intuitive navigation.

Construction of the hospital began in spring 2018 and faced numerous delays during the COVID-19 pandemic and due to hurricane-related shutdowns. Despite the challenges, the hospital opened on time and on budget in fall 2021. Within a week, the hospital was full, a testament to the quality of care and the urgency of demand.