RBB Architects Inc. is well known for designing facilities in the healthcare and institutional sector, such as the Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, Calif.

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Los Angeles-based RBB Architects Inc. is well known for designing facilities in the healthcare and institutional sector that exceed both client expectations and the needs of the end-user. If one thing sets RBB apart from other interior designers and architects, it is the firm’s ability to provide continuity throughout an entire project, says Interiors Principal Annie Laurie Becket.

RBB’s collaborative team environment gives the firm a unique ability to respond to clients needs without designer ego driving the process. Core staff members and principals have more than 20 years of experience working together providing continuity that is invaluable.

“The agency has been instrumental in improving the design and construction techniques, making sure codes are met,” Becket says. “We have extensive experience which helps us fulfill clients’ needs without a lot of delays.”

This year, the company celebrates its 55th anniversary. Becket believes “the level of professionalism and the extensive experience that we have,” is just one reason why RBB has maintained its edge in the national and international marketplace. On average, RBB designs more than $175 million in construction annually.

Becket gained experience in university and healthcare design while working on projects for UCLA. The experience designing in the university setting and for healthcare made her a perfect for RBB, and she joined the firm’s interiors division in 2004.

Expert Staff
As Becket explains, more than 95 percent of RBB’s staff has professional design experience in the medical industry, which helps the firm excel in and understand the intricacies of healthcare design. “We’re highly focused on design excellence and its clinical implications,” she adds. “It helps us stay [in touch] with code restrictions, tight deadlines and creating a healing environment."

As Becket notes, “because we have so much experience in medical planning, we can easily identify the user criteria.”

Today, Becket says clients emphasize integrating new technology and trends with warm, friendly environments for patients and their families. “One of the most important things we look at is how the family is integrated into the patient’s healing process, and we want that to be a positive outcome,” Becket explains. “When rooms are planned, space for family members is taken into consideration. I believe in creating a stress-free environment not only for the patient and staff, but for the family.”

RBB’s interiors division forgoes the trend of hospitality-like atmosphere in favor of a design that supports functionality. “We prefer to provide a timeless design approach integrating clean, organized and comfortable interiors in a light-filled space,” Becket states. “I think what is more important are the aesthetics like color, lighting, and patterns that provide a cohesive design concept. In interiors, we also really research quality materials that are proven and function well.”

Every RBB interior project emphasizes sustainability. Bringing greener building solutions into the healthcare environment goes hand-in-hand with the basic principles of medicine. Hospitals are requesting lighting and flooring that are low-maintenance, highly durable and environmentally low-impact, Becket says. “Clients are asking for [materials] that are proven not only from an environmental standpoint, but also for quality and care, like seamless surfaces that prohibit bacteria,” she notes.

New Projects
RBB is managing the exterior and interior design of two new medical facilities for client Catholic Healthcare West in California, who has requested the designers use sustainable materials. The client was receptive to design solutions that promoted a healing environment such as bringing natural light into public spaces, capitalizing on outdoor views and the use of direct and indirect lighting.

The goal of every RBB project is to relate the design back to the individual communities. For Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, Calif., the ocean community was considered in every aspect of the interior design. The color palette reflected ocean blues and even the wood paneling was reminiscent of the sailboats mooring in Newport harbor.

Understanding the Client
RBB approaches each new project by conducting one-on-one interviews with one or two people in each department of a healthcare facility to determine their expectations and needs for the building’s exterior and interior. “One of our strengths is that we work as a team, and that begins by understanding the client expectations and developing conceptual plans and designs with alternatives,” Becket notes.

Each design is planned to meet strict budgets, which Becket notes has become more challenging with the rising costs of construction. Although the budget gives the company a target, she says, “We’ve found that the cost of construction has escalated and caused us to pay more attention to the design and recommendation process.”

Tech Savvy
Using proprietary 3-D CAD software, RBB can ensure clients of the quality of its work while it keeps the design process running smoothly. “The CAD program keeps everyone using the same tools so there isn’t a breakdown in the construction and documentation process,” Becket maintains.

“We can often take a client through the front door visually and walk them around a space through 3-D modeling,” Becket explains. “We can take them through a typical corridor and a typical patient room where it’s all completely [built-]to-scale. The owner benefits by understanding what it looks like and it’s easier for us to work with.”