Right-sized, resilient and ready

Lee Health’s new health care destination campus aims to provide accessible, best-in-class health care while accommodating future growth and evolving community health needs. The system’s first new hospital in decades, Fort Myers Hospital is strategically placed in the community to provide better clinical access to patients in a state-of-the-art care environment.

Lee Health worked with Flad Architects to define necessary services based on community need and right-size the program and space to support those services. Process improvement anchored every discussion, helping the team focus on creating a facility that supports next-practice care models rather than replicating current workflows.

Spanning more than 690,000 square feet, the campus will house a full-service hospital, ancillary and social services, neurosurgical and surgical optimization clinics, and a medical office building (MOB) supporting the Lee Health Musculoskeletal Institute and outpatient surgery center. The acute care hospital alone will encompass 216 medical-surgical beds, 48 intensive care unit beds, 20 skilled nursing beds, 18 operating rooms and a 42-bed emergency department.

The design seamlessly connects interior and exterior spaces, particularly along the curved main concourse linking emergency services, the main entry and the MOB. A full-height glass curtain wall will introduce daylight, reinforce intuitive wayfinding and create a welcoming sense of openness.

© Flad Architects

The interior draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape, using warm, calming colors and natural materials reflective of southwest Florida. Patient rooms promote calm by integrating natural light, scenic views and defined family zones that encourage participation in care. Waiting spaces will feature centralized amenities and varied seating options that allow families to pause and recharge.

The devastation from Hurricane Ian — which made landfall on the southwest Florida coast during the week schematic design was originally intended to begin — led the team to implement lessons learned into the planning of the new facility. Resilient design measures include raising critical infrastructure above code-required thresholds, elevating staff parking areas to prevent widespread flooding of cars and incorporating enhanced water systems to sustain care during prolonged outages.

© Flad Architects

Despite economic pressures, the project delivers modular, adaptable spaces that respond to seasonal and situational patient surges. The result is a future-ready hospital that establishes a new benchmark for patient-centered, adaptable health care environments.

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