The New Parkland

The new Parkland Memorial Hospital opened its doors to patients on August 20, seven years after voters approved a bond package to help build it. For $1.3 billion, Dallas County got a 2.8 million-square-foot, 862-bed hospital on a 64-acre campus. With $80 million spent on digital technology, it is now one of the most advanced hospitals in the country, a huge upgrade from the old Parkland, which was built in 1954 and was basically falling apart. The new building, designed by HDR + Corgan, is certified LEED Gold. To handle the Texas sun, its windows use a low-iron glass that is tinted gray and covered with a digitally printed pattern consisting of donors’ names and the outlines of trees. Corgan claims it is the largest digitally printed glass building in the world.