Commitment to Clinical Excellence and Compassionate Care
Inova Health Center - Oakville | Alexandria, Virginia
The inaugural new facility in Inova’s Eastern Region Development Plan—the Inova Health Center—Oakville establishes a bold new architectural identity embodying Inova’s commitment to clinical excellence and compassionate care. Located in Alexandria’s revitalized Oakville Triangle, energized by new mixed-use developments, the center features a sculptural, human-centered design that integrates with its urban surroundings.
Project Details
Inova established the Eastern Region Development Plan to advance its mission of delivering world-class healthcare by ensuring every facility reflects the same high standards of care, design and patient experience. Supporting this mission with a forward-thinking, shared approach, Ballinger, Ennead and DPR worked together to evaluate solutions aligning patient care standards and design strategies across Inova’s expanding network.
The first new building to apply this seamless approach, Oakville’s soft, curving forms and transparent two-story lobby create a welcoming presence, linking Inova Commons to the community and anchoring this medical/emergency facility as a cornerstone for health and wellness.
This new 110,000 sq.-ft, four-story outpatient facility incorporates a full-service 14-room emergency department, surgery center, imaging services and an Inova Primary Care Center with ambulatory surgery and primary/specialty care spaces. The building features a café, lounges and a multipurpose room for community events. Sharing the block with a residential complex, the facility features below-grade parking and additional integrated services.
LEED Gold certified, the facility reflects Inova’s commitment to sustainability through advanced design and energy-efficient systems. Its façade incorporates a double glass screen with tension cables, fritted glass shading and vertical fins to minimize glare and solar heat gain, while high-efficiency mechanical systems enhance overall performance. Air source heat pumps simultaneously produce hot and cold water, repurposing heat from chilled water production for heating, which significantly reduces energy consumption. Additional green features include stormwater controls, a landscaped terrace and a green roof. To optimize the heat pump system, the team collaborated with the manufacturer and MEP trade partners, adding bypasses and volume to manage excess heat during peak cooling—leveraging the industry’s newest technology to achieve exceptional efficiency.
This light-filled, welcoming design establishes a new identity for Inova—one that centers people at the heart of healthcare.
Top Honors
Engineering News Record Mid-Atlantic - Best Project Award, Healthcare
Healthcare Facilities Symposium - Symposium Distinction Awards, Team Award
Washington Building Congress – Craftsmanship Award, Exterior Glass & Metals
American Institute of Architects (AIA) Philadelphia, Design Award – Merit, General Build/Unbuilt
International Interior Design Association (IIDA) – Healthcare Design Award, Ambulatory
Illuminating Engineering Society Philadelphia - Illumination Award of Merit
LIT Lighting Design Awards – Honorable Mention
Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design/European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies – American Architecture Award, Hospitals/Medical Centers
Unified Identity and Team
Integrated Planning
As part of the execution plan, the team evaluated logistics, materials, resources, means and methods, and schedules. Design development progressed in tandem with cost, schedule and constructability validation. Estimates were continuously refined for Inova's distinguishing design elements across facilities. The team adopted a “kit of parts” approach, leveraging prefabrication to enhance construction efficiency and ensure consistency and quality. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto
Setting the Standard
Oakville was selected as the first ground-up facility in a multi-campus effort, laying a strong foundation for success by providing cost certainty, transparency and the confidence to make program decisions without compromising design integrity. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto
Establishing a Design Language
Collaboratively developed, the Eastern Region Development Plan introduced a standardized system of design components—site materials, exterior skin, building systems, patient rooms, procedure platforms, public space interiors and wayfinding. Engaged early, the team used a design-assist approach to align strategy, budget and preconstruction coordination, creating a new architectural language that reflects Inova’s brand of clinical excellence and compassionate care. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto
Unified
Identity and Team
Integrated Planning
As part of the execution plan, the team evaluated logistics, materials, resources, means and methods, and schedules. Design development progressed in tandem with cost, schedule and constructability validation. Estimates were continuously refined for Inova's distinguishing design elements across facilities. The team adopted a “kit of parts” approach, leveraging prefabrication to enhance construction efficiency and ensure consistency and quality. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto
Setting the Standard
Oakville was selected as the first ground-up facility in a multi-campus effort, laying a strong foundation for success by providing cost certainty, transparency and the confidence to make program decisions without compromising design integrity. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto
Establishing a Design Language
Collaboratively developed, the Eastern Region Development Plan introduced a standardized system of design components—site materials, exterior skin, building systems, patient rooms, procedure platforms, public space interiors and wayfinding. Engaged early, the team used a design-assist approach to align strategy, budget and preconstruction coordination, creating a new architectural language that reflects Inova’s brand of clinical excellence and compassionate care. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto
Complex Exterior Façade and Glass Screen Assembly
Precision Through Design-Assist and VDC
To manage extremely tight tolerances, the team adopted a design-assist approach 16 months prior to construction that required model-based design.
DPR’s Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) team modeled the design with thousands of points of interaction on the building skin. In the field, each piece was placed, tacked and verified through laser scanning before the next could be installed. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto
Rapid Response
The site team raised concerns immediately, prompting the design team to arrive on-site the same day to assess. Rapid collaboration and brainstorming sessions led to a steel reinforcement plan for the 60 roof cables, including adjustments to sequencing of work and trade schedules.
Complex Four-System Integration
The refined design integrated four distinct systems: curtain wall, glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC), metal panel and a post-tensioned glass screen supported by roof-connected steel tension cables.
Given the loads imposed by the suspended glass screen, the steel had to be reinforced and precisely aligned to maintain structural integrity and visual continuity. This required close collaboration between the design, engineering and construction teams.
Complex Exterior
Façade and Glass Screen Assembly
Precision Through Design-Assist and VDC
To manage extremely tight tolerances, the team adopted a design-assist approach 16 months prior to construction that required model-based design.
DPR’s Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) team modeled the design with thousands of points of interaction on the building skin. In the field, each piece was placed, tacked and verified through laser scanning before the next could be installed. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto
Rapid Response
The site team raised concerns immediately, prompting the design team to arrive on-site the same day to assess. Rapid collaboration and brainstorming sessions led to a steel reinforcement plan for the 60 roof cables, including adjustments to sequencing of work and trade schedules.
Complex Four-System Integration
The refined design integrated four distinct systems: curtain wall, glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC), metal panel and a post-tensioned glass screen supported by roof-connected steel tension cables.
Given the loads imposed by the suspended glass screen, the steel had to be reinforced and precisely aligned to maintain structural integrity and visual continuity. This required close collaboration between the design, engineering and construction teams.
Tight Site Logistics Shared Construction Site
Concurrent Construction
The Oakville facility and adjacent residential building were built concurrently, requiring close coordination. The residential contractor constructed the shared parking garage, which doubled as Oakville’s structural slab, and the buildings shared a wall to the second floor.
The residential GC’s single crane served both projects, with carefully scheduled use to avoid delays especially for time-sensitive tasks/concrete pours. Proximity to a distribution center complicated access. DPR implemented a traffic control plan to maintain safe access.
Safety Culture and Accountability
The construction team implemented several proactive strategies including outlining the expectations of our trade partners, preparing pre-task plans and conducting daily inspections and toolbox talks.
The team also launched a “Why I Work Safe” campaign, encouraging personal reflection and accountability across the workforce.
To further enhance safety and planning, the prefabricated exterior mock-ups were used to test and refine access strategies and fall protection measures before full-scale installation began. These efforts, combined with a strong emphasis on quality and coordination, ensured a safe and well-managed jobsite under complex conditions.
Tight Site Logistics
Shared Construction Site
Concurrent Construction
The Oakville facility and adjacent residential building were built concurrently, requiring close coordination. The residential contractor constructed the shared parking garage, which doubled as Oakville’s structural slab, and the buildings shared a wall to the second floor.
The residential GC’s single crane served both projects, with carefully scheduled use to avoid delays especially for time-sensitive tasks/concrete pours. Proximity to a distribution center complicated access. DPR implemented a traffic control plan to maintain safe access.
Safety Culture and Accountability
The construction team implemented several proactive strategies including outlining the expectations of our trade partners, preparing pre-task plans and conducting daily inspections and toolbox talks.
The team also launched a “Why I Work Safe” campaign, encouraging personal reflection and accountability across the workforce.
To further enhance safety and planning, the prefabricated exterior mock-ups were used to test and refine access strategies and fall protection measures before full-scale installation began. These efforts, combined with a strong emphasis on quality and coordination, ensured a safe and well-managed jobsite under complex conditions.
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