The Completed CMC

[M. Brown]

Here is a pic of the competed CMC

[Garris]

Here is a pic of the competed CMC

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ugh, this building is very unimpressive, and could be in any city or suburb anywhere in the country and could have been built at any point in the last 30 years... Even the chance for some, or any detailing in the ER and main entrances is neglected in exchange for bland, spare, modern (and undoubtedly cheap) treatments As a doctor, I have to say that hospital architecture in general is very disappointing and rarely adds to the flavor of their cities. This is especially true in New England, which seems to have been passed over by the brief and now largely expired trend towards interesting hospital construction (as construction in the increasingly financially squeezed medical industry grinds to a halt).

In Providence, the entire Rhode Island Hospital campus is quite unattractive (although there's some good landscaping), and its larger,neighboring APC building is a travesty (it looks like a dripping, wet sponge when it rains). Hasbro Children's and the flanking Co-op building at least have some spark and interesting night lighting, but the new connecting ER (the about to be completed "Bridge Building"), while clean, has no flavor whatsoever and is essentially a brick box. The old Providence VA has some majesty about it, but it is diminished by a new outpatient addition (which is actually somewhat interesting in its modern design but unfortunately has no context or relation with the older structure to which it's surgically grafted). Roger Williams has a horendous 50's-70's addition. Miriam Hospital may be unique in having nothing at all even identifiable as architecture... It's just there.

Of Boston's many medical buildings, none has ever made an impact upon me, save for some intriquing Harvard research buildings and medical school structures. U-Mass's medical campus could be in any office park in the U.S., and Lahey Clinic is in an office park.

In New Haven, the Yale-NH hospital manages to be even uglier than Rhode Island Hospital, although there are a few interesting research buildings that, being research buildings, the general public will never see or visit.

In all, very disappointing. Shame on the members of my profession...

- Garris

Providence, RI

[M. Brown]

The whole building is not new. There was an additon put onto it. The entrance is new and the part closest to the street is new. It looks much better than what it looked before anyway.

[Loughlin]

You must of not seen maine medical than, it is set on a hill in downtown wonderful building.

[pvenne]

You must of not seen maine medical than, it is set on a hill in downtown wonderful building.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

well, since ive been reading old posts, i figured it would be okay to reply to them as well. here are some pix of maine medical center, and of its expansion:

below is an aerial shot (small, i know) of mmc. it looks even better up close, and has pretty good architectural aesthetics.

i believe this is the E.D. entrance.

from 295 north-bound

this is the planned expansion. the two buildings in the forefront are not there yet but the land has been cleared and a foundation has been put down.

did i already post this one?

from above, with the old hospital in fron and the new(er) in the back...seadogs stadium is in the back.

speaking of, here it is again.

and to top it all off, what the hell, another pic of my fave city...with some underutilized land, prime for development, in the left hand corner...eerrrggh