In 2008, NBBJ began designing a new medical center for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in New Orleans, with goals to create an environment that would serve as a model of patient-centered healthcare and respect surrounding neighborhoods. But it was also critically important that the project deliver a comfortable, dignified environment that honored service members and their families and supported the nuances of veteran care.

After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and destroyed the previous VA medical center there, NBBJ collaborated on the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System Replacement Medical Center with two local New Orleans firms, Eskew+Dumez+Rippleand Rozas Ward Architects. Together, the team set out to design a new four-story, 1.6-million-square-foot campus housing 200 beds for critical care, acute care, mental health, and transitional living, as well as an emergency department (ED), intervention center, and comprehensive outpatient services to serve more than 70,000 veterans in 23 parishes throughout the region.

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