Dr Rivera

Designed in a Cape Cod style, this medical addition adds 25,000 square feet of office and medical space.

THE NEW ADDITION TO THE RIVERA BUILDING is a 25,000 square foot, two story annex to an existing one story, 6,500 square foot building erected in 1990. The original 1990 generic Cape Cod style building, housing a general medical practice and separate orthopedic practice, provided the starting point for the design and programming of the new addition. The program called for the relocation of the orthopedic practice to the new addition’s ground level, along with a physical therapy clinic and imaging center; the speculative upper level includes three multi-space, self contained office suites, with the remainder of the second level configured as individual offices with common support services.

dr_rivera – architectural firm in Sarasota, FL

The design for the new addition, connected to the existing building by a new porte cochere, expands the aesthetic heritage of the Cape Code style to include several attributes of vernacular New England maritime architecture. A windowed, octagonal tower located on the northwest corner of the addition, abutting the three lane (one way east) Olympia Boulevard/U.S. 17 right of way and project entrance drive, is based loosely on carpenter style New England light house prototypes. This three story anchor, perched atop a brick faced perimeter walk almost six feet above grade (to comply with flood plain requirements), provides a visual site reference for both building users and motorist, along with views of the nearby Peace River for its occupants. The building’s exterior, clad with the apparent wood clapboards and trim, are all fabricated from specialized Portland cement materials and urethane or extruded polystyrene foam (non-EFS). The building walls and roofs are fully insulated at the exterior perimeter; all spaces, including unused attic area, are a part of the insulated envelope.

This project features concrete and masonry walls and structural and light gauge steel floor and roof framing. The two story addition is configured with a high solar reflectance metal finished gambrel roof to minimize and integrate the scale of the new two story addition with the much lower existing one story structure. The upper portion of the gambrel provides a concealed mechanical equipment well, roofed with a highly reflective PVC membrane, to accommodate the extensive air conditioning and cooling equipment; the equipment well is accessed through an exit stair penthouse. Gambrel dormers provide day lighting for almost all of the offices of the second level; at the first level, 70% of the office, exam, therapy and treatment rooms are day-lit.