UCSD Hillcrest Medical Center – Inpatient Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Suite

This new Magnetic Resonance Imaging Suite provides solutions to common patient issues of anxiety, claustrophobia and noise, while creating an environment that attracts and helps retain quality staff.

The design concept addresses the patient’s feeling of confinement during the scan, turning it into a more relaxed experience. This is accomplished through abstraction of the natural phenomenon of slot canyons, which, while physically constrictive, are intriguing and beautiful.

The suite’s design carries the patient through a succession of warm, intimate spaces culminating in the scan room. The curved, wood-veneer ceiling intrigues the patient, while backlit alabaster panels extend the limits of the walls. Sound-absorbing material associated with the ceiling system and walls mitigates the noise produced by the magnet.

The initial MRI project was so successful that UCSD wanted to use the same concept 5 years later for their additional MRI scan room. This 1,200 square foot tenant improvement provided a new MRI scan room and patient prep-holding area in existing shell space. In addition, it provided an extension to the existing MRI Suite and added a new exterior chiller for the facility.