Option Care Health Offices – Itasca
Whitney Architects designed the OCH Innovation Center in Itasca, Illinois, focusing on a warm, collaborative space with biophilic design elements, promoting comfort and showcasing infusion environments.
Whitney has designed many Option Care Health (OCH) locations throughout the U.S., including the OCH Innovation Center in Itasca, Illinois, which serves as the new Illinois flagship for the at-home infusion company and pharmacy.
With the combination of a compounding pharmacy, specialty distribution pharmacy, and innovation center, OCH Itasca is not only a place to provide life-saving infusion treatments, but a space to hold meetings, trainings, and act as a showroom for patients and investors alike. Vignettes of infusion environments showcase the process in an accessible way, and a “collision zone” in the center of the building creates a natural spot for collaboration and innovation.
It is typically a challenge to find a building suitable for such a facility, so this project required a specific strategy from the very beginning. We needed to find a space big enough to contain a warehouse, but approachable and warm enough so that patients coming in for infusions would feel comfortable. By a stroke of luck, we were able to connect with a builder early in the building process and customize the building to our needs.
In addition to the design of the space, Whitney developed all the branding for this location. Our strategy was to convey the mission of OCH without being too literal. Inspirational images of healthy, happy people line the walls of the warehouse and serve as a reminder to workers that there is a patient at the other end of their job depending on them for life saving resources.
Biophilic design is another major component. By emphasizing nature and tying local surroundings into the design of each location, patients can relish in the familiarity evoked by these images. At this location, wood trellises symbolize the connection between home and community, creating a sense of comfort.
Design: Whitney Architects
Contractor: McShane
Furniture Dealer: Henricksen
Photography: Kendall McCaugherty | Hall+Merrick+McCaugherty Photography
