Yellowhawk Tribal Health will feature energy-efficient designs focused on patient-centered care.

PENDLETON, Ore. — On Aug. 24, the Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center broke ground on a $26.3 million construction expansion. The project will add 63,000 square feet to the center in Pendleton and provide three times the space of the existing clinic. The expanded center is set to open in winter 2017 and will infuse health care with tribal culture and green technology.

The general contractor working on the project is Bend, Ore.-based Kirby Nagelhout Construction, and the architect is Seattle-based NBBJ.

At the beginning of the design process, a 10-member project team composed of Yellowhawk Tribal Health officials toured eight other tribal health facilities to gather ideas. The team then developed a vision for the clinic as a place of light and patient-centered care.

“In April of 1996, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) signed a compact with the federal government to assume management of all health care functions for the tribes,” said Yellowhawk Tribal Health CEO Tim Gilbert in a statement. “That gave the tribes a lot more control.”

The new space will feature a courtyard and fire pit to honor the importance of storytelling and community. The clinic’s walls will be layered with cement panels and engraved with the pattern of tule mats once used in traditional tule mat lodges. Aluminum panels with huckleberry-patterned cutouts will catch the sun entering the courtyard to make use of natural light in the building.

When patients walk through the building’s east-facing main entrance, they will be led into a circular village of health care services. A glass hallway will guide patients around the courtyard. The quiet space is filled with natural light and encourages patients to use the space for waiting and contemplation.

Prior to the design process, NBBJ also toured the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute to learn about tribal regalia, artifacts and cultural nuances, which were then incorporated into the expansion design.

“We’re into doing things that make a difference for a community,” said NBBJ Project Manager Neil Piistanen in a statement. “These are people that are pushing the envelope of what health care means.”

Energy Oregon Trust granted $450,000 to the project in exchange for Yellowhawk Tribal Health’s commitment to strive for net-zero energy use. To do so, the health center will use an electrical grid for storage of energy gained through solar panels and a small wind turbine. Energy consumption will also be reduced by super-thick insulation, strategic placement of windows, efficient HVAC systems, LED lighting and general orientation of the building to optimize solar exposure. The health center is one of the most energy-efficient buildings NBBJ has ever designed, according to Piistanen.