Anthony Haas, Walter Tower experience

Perhaps no more accurate – or personal – post-occupancy evaluation exists than when a healthcare architect ends up in the very hospital his firm designed, which was the case with Page project director Anthony Haas and Houston Methodist Hospital’s Walter Tower.

“They brought me here at midnight in an ambulance,” Anthony says, of his cardiac medical emergency just over one year ago. “I bypassed the ER and went straight to a room in Walter Tower. Having been an architect designing and planning hospitals my entire career, I know that a hospital room is the most expensive hotel room you will ever reserve – and that you can’t wait to get out of it.”

Walter Tower, which opened in 2018, is a centerpiece of Houston Methodist Hospital’s multiple buildings in the renowned Texas Medical Center. A second patient tower, Centennial, is in construction nearby and is scheduled to open in 2027. Both were designed by Page.

A 22-story, $700 million structure of nearly a million square feet, Walter Tower has 366 patient rooms, surgical suites designed for minimally invasive, image-guided cardiovascular and neurological procedures, two ICUs and six acute care floors. It has 18 high-tech ORs, with four of the hybrid ORs supporting robotic-assisted technology.

“I was taken to a big, comfortable room, a large area that staff could maneuver in and around,” Anthony says. “I could interact with staff members on the door side, my family on the right, the bathroom was at my feet, and the TV and all the room controls were around me. It felt comfortable, as if my wife, Sharon, who was with me most of the time, and I were in our own little capsule.”

Anthony’s health issues had started over that Labor Day weekend. “I always knew I had an irregular heartbeat, but doctors had kept it under control, watching and monitoring it. When my heart rate shot up to 140, though, I went to the local ER, where I was stabilized and sent to Houston in an ambulance.”

This happened two times over a two-week period. The first time Anthony spent a few days in the hospital, then was sent home to see his cardiologist and do a stress test with a follow-up appointment set for the next month. Just weeks later, however, he had another cardiac event. “It ends up the blockages were almost 100 percent,” he says.

Which is how he ended up in the ICU in Walter Tower, awaiting open-heart bypass surgery. 

Due to the critical nature of his illness, Anthony’s medical team didn’t want him up and about while he was awaiting surgery. “I was sequestered to the room, with the staff constantly checking on me,” he says. “The staff and team seemed so engaged, from my surgeon and doctors to the people who prepared me for surgery and brought my medication. Everyone would ask, ‘How are you, what can I get for you?’ They were communicating with each other as well, such as the cardiologist talking to the pharmacist. Everyone was in tune.”

The Page team members that designed the tower, led by design principal Tushar Gupta and lead medical planner Haeoak Park, were clearly mindful in their approach to details large and small, says Anthony. “I knew what the team had done in the planning and evolution of the tower, the care and thoughtfulness with which it was designed,” he says. “That took a lot of the nervousness out of the equation for me.”

The tower’s design supported not only patient comfort, with private ICU rooms and home-like touches, but top-notch medical technologies and collocation of services, as well. For instance, an intraoperative MRI gives surgeons the ability to scan patients and perform procedures in the same location without moving them to an imaging suite during procedures. Surgeons have a more precise view of tumors, aneurysms, ischemic strokes, etc., and can make immediate adjustments to their surgical plan.  

The Importance of Design

Anthony’s hospital stay gave him a renewed appreciation for the design of spaces that might seem unimportant – until they became a vital part of his daily life. 

After his surgery, he returned to the ICU, full of tubes and heavily monitored. But eight hours later the physical therapy staff had him up in a recliner, and just hours after that, up and walking a few steps. Evidence has shown that the earlier ICU patients get out of bed and start moving, the better their recovery. 

“So instead of staying in my room, I found myself walking up and down the hallways,” he says. “My daily goal became walking just a little further. I used the large windows as hall marks, and from one I was able to look out on the new tower – Centennial – emerging from the ground.” 

Likewise, the large windows in his room became his gateway to the world. “Every morning, we would raise all the shades and blinds, to let the sun in. You’re so isolated and locked out of society in intensive care, it’s nice to just see what the weather’s doing, what’s going on outside.”

Design elements like large windows, plentiful natural light, and calming art make a difference not only to patients and their families but to medical teams as well. 

When Anthony shared with staff that he was with the firm that had designed Walter Tower and Centennial Tower, “they treated me like royalty. Everyone from my surgeon to support staff was telling me how happy they were to be in the building and that they loved coming to work. It was very gratifying. The design made a real difference in their attitude and performance.”

Nevertheless, Anthony was happy to leave when he was able, taking his red heart pillow signed by his care team (which also served as a chest protector under his seat belt). Now, a year later, Anthony says he’s back to doing everything he was before, including driving around his ranch, having adventures with his grandchildren, and chasing his cows around. 

“The way we design healthcare buildings pushes care to a higher level and results in higher levels of satisfaction, not just for patients but also for staff,” Anthony says. “Investment in design really resonates throughout the system.”