Community Connection

LCMC Health’s new Downtown headquarters centered on community and wellness

In 2021, LCMC Health’s corporate offices moved from the former New Orleans Adolescent Hospital building, a historic property at State and Tchoupitoulas streets. The move takes LCMC’s executive, finance, legal, marketing, and population health and supply chain departments from Uptown to Downtown where it now calls the 24th and 25th floors of the Energy Centre home.

“As our health system continues to grow, our new corporate office gives us the exciting opportunity to be part of the resurgence of Downtown New Orleans, bringing our spirit of ‘little extras’ to the Central Business District,” said Greg Feirn, CEO of LCMC Health. “It should be an extraordinary time in our region’s history as we return to a semblance of a new normal in healthcare and business.”

Feirn — along with Jill Traylor, principal and director of interior design at EskewDumezRipple, and Ryan Kovalak, executive director at Monigle — recently shared details about the new headquarters, its design, and how LCMC is positioning itself for the future of healthcare in New Orleans.

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What were your (or your design team’s) goals for the design and why?

Greg Feirn: LCMC Health’s brand is centered around the idea of ‘celebrating the extraordinary in a world of ordinary’ and this mantra was instilled in the design of our corporate headquarters. Our workspace reflects our brand strategy, brought to life through human-centered environmental design — warm, welcoming, colorful and connected to the community. We leaned into vibrant colors and maximized natural light that made the space warm and open, and we mixed and matched décor, pairing together modern and vintage furniture in a way that looked more like a living room than a lobby — all while integrating health and wellness cues through light-colored wood and pops of greenery. We also reconfigured the shared areas in the office — the lobby, hallways and corridors, and breakrooms — to foster a sense of community, encourage casual interactions and enable collaboration.

What was the biggest design challenge and how was it overcome?

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Jill Traylor: Our biggest challenge was a compressed design and construction schedule. Having Impetus, the general contractor, and AOS, [responsible for the] DIRTT system, at the table early in the process proved to be essential in meeting LCMC Health’s goals and deadline.

Feirn: LCMC Health also wanted to reduce our impact on the environment, so we made an investment in sustainability and chose to build with manufactured construction. We created a beautiful, functional, resilient space while reducing our environmental impact with positive outcomes. For example, we were able to divert over 12,000 pounds of drywall waste that would have ended up in a landfill if we had built the space in a conventional manner.

What is the standout feature of the design and why?

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Feirn: Throughout the space, we incorporated small details and accents to help highlight the humanity and originality of LCMC Health. Graphics with positive affirmations, stylized lettering and cheerful drawings line the walls, creating moments of storytelling around our organization’s hospitals and staff. We also honored our rich New Orleans heritage with artwork showcasing the city, alongside unexpected touches like lighting fixtures made from musical instruments like trombones, for extra moments of delight.

Traylor: LCMC Health’s commitment to include local artwork in the project really added a special detail that not only tells their story of being rooted in New Orleans, but also provides a very welcoming quality to the space.

How would you describe LCMC Health and its core clientele or audience?

Feirn: LCMC Health is a New Orleans-based, nonprofit health system on a mission to provide the best possible care for every person and parish in Louisiana and beyond, and to put a little more heart and soul into healthcare along the way. Our expert team of healthcare professionals is dedicated to leading Gulf Coast communities to better outcomes by creating a culture of wellness.

How do you set yourselves apart from organizations doing similar work?

Feirn: Treating people like family is the LCMC Health way, and it always has been. Founded by Louisiana’s first freestanding children’s hospital, we’ve grown into a healthcare system that’s built to serve the unique needs of our communities and families across New Orleans. We deliver exceptional care close to home at our six hospital locations and network of urgent care centers and physician practices. With over 2,800 board-certified physicians specializing to treat the whole patient, our community can count on us to provide extraordinary care right where they need it.

How do you promote a positive work atmosphere for the staff?

Kovalak: Ultimately, we designed each area of LCMC Health’s headquarters to create a sense of belonging and drive a connection with the brand — an approach that enabled us to build a place people are proud to visit every day. When brand is seamlessly ingrained into a workplace, it can bring your team together and cultivate an authentic atmosphere rooted in shared values and culture.

What are your biggest challenges?

Feirn: Like so many healthcare providers across the country, our biggest challenge at LCMC Health has been the labor shortage. The ongoing pandemic and Hurricane Ida have created staffing challenges in almost every role, but especially bedside nursing. Because of that, addressing staff burnout and fostering a culture of wellness is a top priority. Several spaces include wellness areas for staff to take moments to decompress and there are several open areas for group celebrations. Our welcoming environment creates a physical space that supports our employees as we continue to position our system and our people for long-term success.

What goals are you looking to meet in the next 12 months?

Feirn: As a new system, LCMC Health is committed to better serving the needs of the greater New Orleans community, and we continuously strive to enhance the patient experience, both inside and outside of hospital walls. Our goal is to provide the best possible care and expertise for every person and every parish in Louisiana and beyond.

 


Quick Look

Years in Operation
LCMC Health was formed in 2009 when Children’s Hospital partnered with Touro Infirmary.
New Offices Opening
July 2021
Square footage
41,000 square feet on 24th and 25th floors
Persons in charge
Alison Anderson, chief of staff, and Scott Landry, senior vice president of facilities and support services of LCMC Health, led the renovation of the new corporate space.
Design Teams
Design concept and branding, Denver-based Monigle: Design by EskewDumezRipple (Mark Ripple, principal; Jill Traylor, principal and director of interior design; Kristin Henry, senior interior designer; Phoenix Montague, designer); general contractor, Impetus (formerly Palmisano)
Furnishings and Art
Furnishings specified by EskewDumezRipple, provided by AOS. Artwork selected by EskewDumezRipple, provided by Where Y’Art.


LCMC Health
1100 Poydras Street, Suite 2500
(Energy Center in the Central Business District)
lcmchealth.org
Facebook: facebook.com/LCMCHealth


 

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