Originally built in 1968, Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, CA, completed a $120 million master plan expansion program that includes a 200,000-square-foot, three-story and basement addition. It also gave the hospital a new main entrance that solidified its identity as the region’s leading healthcare provider. To convey a feeling of quality and permanence, the exterior of the new entrance features Morning Glory sandstone from India, which was supplied by Southland Stone of North Hollywood, CA.

Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center is a 265-bed acute care facility serving the residents of the Greater Conejo Valley in Ventura County, CA, and its surrounding communities. The new wing includes 90 private patient rooms, a multi-story lobby, an expanded patient admitting area, private consultation areas and enhanced department locales.

Executives at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center felt that the facility’s original design was out of date, and that might lead some patients to believe the level of care was outdated as well. The new design includes a courtyard that is adorned with multiple trees and gardens, a circular driveway that allows patients to be dropped directly at the front door, and a facade and columns that are clad in sandstone.

The architecture firm responsible for the expansion design was Haynes + Oakley of Sierra Madre, CA, which specializes in healthcare projects. “Enhancing the Medical Center’s Image as the area’s premier medical facility, the project features a new main entrance and three-story signature lobby as well as an Outpatient Mall that offers direct access to all Outpatient Diagnostic and Treatment Services,” explained a statement from Haynes + Oakley.

To create a striking impression and meet the practical goals of the project, the design called for Morning Glory sandstone, a red/rust-colored material that was quarried in India. The stone was imported by Southland Stone, which has supplied sandstone for a range of project types in Southern California and beyond.

The stone was installed by American Tile & Brick Veneer of Signal Hill, CA. Because the sandstone was used in a standard tile format, the installers were able to use the “adhered veneer” method to set the stone on the exterior - without mechanical anchoring. American Tile & Brick also used this method for another high-profile exterior project in California, the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at The University of California at Davis, as well as other applications.

Completed after some delays due to heavy rains, the wide-ranging expansion program at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center has been deemed a success, and it has been praised by the facility’s management as well as the local media.

Sidebar: Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center (expansion)

Thousand Oaks, CA

Architect: Haynes + Oakley, Sierra Madre, CA

Stone Supplier: Southland Stone, North Hollywood, CA

Stone Installer: American Tile & Brick Veneer, Signal Hill, CA