Grace Hill Health Center Wins AIA Award

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) awarded Arcturis a 2010 Merit Award for its work on the new Water Tower Health Center for Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers. Arcturis provided real estate/land services, planning, civil engineering, architecture, interiors, landscape architecture and graphic design for this new medical facility. The award was presented at AIA's recent Design Awards ceremony.

The Water Tower Health Center houses a state-of-the-art family practice health care clinic, replacing a nearby existing Grace Hill facility and expanding its capacity by 30 percent. The building also incorporates rooms for community outreach use.

"This project created not just a new medical center, but an important anchor for a disadvantaged community," said Meera Jain, Arcturis' director of design on the project. "As such, it was important to keep in mind the historic nature of the location, near one of the few remaining water towers in St. Louis, and have respect for the architectural elements used in other surrounding buildings."

The facility is highlighted by tower-like elements (the entry, and main signage) that relate to the nearby columnar water towers that serve this portion of the City. Materials used include zinc, brick, glass, composite panels and precast stem walls.

"The Water Tower Health Center makes a bold, yet culturally-appropriate architectural statement in the College Hill neighborhood," said Alan O. Freeman, president and CEO of Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers. "Arcturis has delivered an excellent programmatic design and created a building that is functionally efficient and aesthetically impressive."

Arcturis, (www.arcturis.com) is a multi-disciplined design firm headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri and known in its 33-year history for award-winning projects locally and nationally. A registered Woman-Owned Business, Arcturis offers planning and urban design, architecture, interior design, graphic design, facility support services, landscape architecture and technology solutions.

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