Whitman-Walker Health Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center

  • Client
    Whitman-Walker Health
  • Location
    Washington, DC
  • Size
    25,000-SF
office
Awards
  • ABC Metro Washington - Excellence in Construction, Medical (Under $20 Million)
  • IIDA Mid-Atlantic Chapter Premiere Design Award

Project Brief

For nearly 40 years, Whitman-Walker has embodied what it means to care for others. As one of the first responders to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Washington, DC, they have become a leader in the field, with services including education, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Members of the LGBTQ community know Whitman-Walker as a place where anyone can be treated with the respect and support they deserve.

After a successful interior build-out in 2015, we've cultivated a strong and trusting relationship with Whitman Walker. When they needed more interior work for a new medical space, they knew they could count on DAVIS. This project means a great deal to the people of DC and combines the important memories of the past with a look into the future of Whitman-Walker Health and the LGBTQ community.

foyer area with sun casting colorful rays on the walls and floor
patient waiting area

A vision for the future

The medical center’s build-out was comprehensive and included work for employees, patients, and visitors. The second-floor layout is gorgeous—meeting rooms with cutting-edge light fixtures allow color to flow into open workspaces, creating the vibrant, energetic, and welcoming atmosphere that helps anyone feel comfortable at Whitman-Walker Health.

The modern features of this project highlight Whitman-Walker Health’s efforts to continue pushing forward into the future of healthcare. Much of the flooring used was made of a poured liquid linoleum project which originated in the Netherlands and had never before been used in the Northeast region of the US .The custom two-tone baffle ceilings combine with exposed concrete for a bold touch in the employee café and main patient/visitor area. 

Recognizing a valuable member of our community

As a nonprofit with the special mission of serving the LGBTQ community for decades, history is important to and inseparable from Whitman-Walker Health. We made sure to build with this in mind and ensured that history encompassed the new space. The waiting area includes the original storefront window, as well as a custom wall graphic underscoring the LGBTQ community and Whitman-Walker Health’s past. We also reinstalled the “Mural of Life” piece that was saved from the original facility.

Photography by Eric Laignel