The New Novato Community Hospital

The Site

Sutter Health purchased the 12.6 acre site for the new campus in 1990. Planning began with the definition of a master plan for the site. The initial concept adapted the Sutter Santa Cruz Maternity and Surgery Center with interior design modifications.

The design was a good fit for the NCH site because the exterior -- with its patient balconies and vaulted roofs -- brought the building height down to a very personal scale and conveyed a residential feel that related well to the nearby developments.

Once into the schematic design, however, it was clear the desired hospital programs would not fit within the Santa Cruz footprint. Additional square footage was added to the Emergency Department ambulance area and administration and support services were moved to the first floor of the medical building.

Both the hospital and the medical office building were designed to complement one another in a campus-like setting. The master plan allows for a 40,000 square foot hospital expansion, if necessary, and a second medical office building.