Rural & Resilient

Margaret Mary Health improves access to healthcare throughout the Indiana rural communities it serves. Once complete, their new replacement community hospital in Batesville, Indiana will be the state’s first all-electric hospital and one of the most energy efficient hospitals in the nation. The energy efficiency of the new hospital is projected to save Margaret Mary $9M in operating expenses over the next 25 years. This will allow them to put even more resources into the care of their patients and remain an independent, community-focused hub for health.

The design of the new hospital balances programmatic and budgetary constraints with Margaret Mary’s community legacy and resiliency goals. Clean energy tax incentives were leveraged to help ensure renewable energy investments, decarbonization, sustainability investments, energy efficiency, and infrastructure upgrades. Margaret Mary’s current facility Energy Use Intensity (think of this as a building’s miles per gallon measure) is 340 EUI. The average hospital in the Midwest is 250 EUI and their new hospital, powered by a geothermal heat pump central plant, is predicted to be under 100 EUI, which means a significant improvement in the operational energy-efficiency of the hospital and well under the industry average.

Arriving to check-in at the new hospital will be easier for patients and families. The centralized registration area has been designed to be a one-stop spot to check in for all hospital appointments. The space will support Margaret Mary’s streamlined process, will help reduce wait times, and ease navigation so people can get to their appointments quickly and easily.

After a hospital stay, patients often feel vulnerable, both physically and emotionally. To help support patients and maintain their privacy, the new hospital will offer a private discharge area. This can help reduce stress for patients by providing a more controlled environment, minimizing encounters with other patients and visitors. It can also facilitate a smoother pickup for family members and staff by avoiding the hustle and bustle of the main hospital entrance.

Community health and well-being is part of Margaret Mary’s mission. The new campus will include public walking trails throughout that connect to trails on the existing hospital site as well as nearby Freedom Park. These peaceful paths will contribute to a healing environment where both healthcare workers and community members can relax and recharge. The hospital’s community hub will be conveniently situated on the first floor near the café, which will include outdoor seating with garden views, to help blur the line between interior and exterior spaces. The community hub and café were designed to foster socializing by providing patients, visitors, and staff an inviting and comfortable space to have a meal, connect with colleagues, or work while waiting for a loved one undergoing treatment.

Rooted in Margaret Mary’s belief that a healthy workforce is a resilient workforce, the new hospital is as much a celebration of Margaret Mary’s progressive energy achievement as it is of our proof-in-the-pudding approach for designing resilient, environmentally conscious architecture