Grimm & Parker Logo

Dennis Avenue Health Center

Silver Spring, Maryland

client

Montgomery County

size

63,000 sf

certification

LEED Gold

type

New Construction

partner

Wilmot Sanz

Increasing demand for the health center’s services, including the only public Tuberculosis clinic in the County, the existing facility—originally designed as an elementary school—was undersized and inadequate. The facility is the first newly constructed health center in the County in over 30 years. Vital to the success of the project was the health center’s continuous delivery of care and services while the modern, state-of-the-art building was constructed.

Conveying respect and a sense of welcome was key to the design. Light fixtures, careful material selections, and the extensive use of glass in the entry give dignity to the public spaces.

Many patients are non-native English speakers, and wayfinding was given particular consideration. The building’s signage and organization maintain privacy, with health suites labeled with numbers rather than with the diseases that are treated in them.

The new building is stunning, and will allow us to provide health services to the Montgomery County community in a healthy environment.

Sr. Administrator, Communicable Disease and Epidemiology, DHHS

Closing Thoughts

The health center also houses the County’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Center, which serves as central command for the County during a public health crisis. These facilities have high levels of integrated technology that can be reconfigured quickly and easily.