Center for the Intrepid
Clad in South Dakota granite, this physical rehabilitation center suggests a monument befitting the return of our soldiers from combat. Yet it was delivered as a cost-effective, just-in-time project to serve the pressing needs of severely wounded warriors.
Client
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund
Location
San Antonio, Texas
Markets/Services
Ambulatory Care, Architecture, Behavioral Health, Civil Engineering, Government, Government Health, Health & Wellness, Interiors, Landscape Architecture, Lighting Design, Programming, Rehabilitation, Sustainable Design, Translational Health Sciences
Size
65,000 SF
Featured Awards
Building Design and Construction Magazine Silver Honor Building Team Award, 2006
American Council of Engineering Companies National Honor Award, 2007
Healthcare Design Magazine Citation of Merit Award, 2007
Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo Team Award, 2007
Texas ABC "Excellence In Construction" award for Interior Construction, 2007
Buildings Magazine Grand Prize New Construction, 2008
Best Commercial Real Estate Medical Facility Award – San Antonio Business Journal, 2008
To meet the aggressive 18-month schedule, SmithGroup's multidisciplinary team mobilized within 48 hours of notification. Construction began while the rehabilitation center was still in design, an integrated delivery approach in which the firm excels.
The design solution elevates the most advanced rehabilitation facility in the world as a reverential, ceremonial form. An elliptical masonry cylinder with large glass openings focuses attention on a ceremonial entrance arch. Clerestory windows and a stepped metal roof complete the classic, respectful sensibility.
Inside, the center combines physical training zones with sophisticated research in prosthetics, robotics, virtual reality and biomechanics. Alongside an indoor pool with wave technology, elevated running track, climbing wall, and uneven terrain and obstacle simulations are first-generation technologies, including a 300-degree, virtual reality immersion environment and an advanced gait analysis laboratory.