Rooted in Place
A major hospital expansion brings advanced clinical services, thoughtful planning, and regional character together to support the next generation of healthcare in central Pennsylvania.
Geisinger South Tower Expansion
Danville, PA
Founded in 1915 to bring advanced medical care to rural Pennsylvania, Geisinger has grown into a regional healthcare system serving more than 1.2 million people. At its flagship medical center in Danville, generations of development have transformed the original hospital into a campus spanning more than two million SF, reflecting the institution’s evolving role in the communities it serves.
As demand for specialized healthcare continues to grow, Geisinger is undertaking the largest expansion in the medical center’s history. The project addresses the need for greater clinical capacity, improved operational efficiency, and a more intuitive patient experience while maintaining the hospital’s longstanding connection to its community.
EwingCole designed the 450,000-square-foot South Tower expansion, part of an $880 million investment in Geisinger’s Danville campus. The project introduces 192 private patient rooms, an expanded emergency department, and a new surgical suite, bringing critical services together within a contemporary healthcare environment designed for future growth.
Planning Around People
The expansion reorganizes the patient and visitor experience, beginning with an extended drop-off area and a welcoming two-story lobby. Improved circulation and wayfinding create clearer connections between the new tower and existing hospital facilities, helping patients and families navigate a large, complex medical campus.
The emergency department doubles the existing space, increasing capacity to accommodate patients requiring immediate care. A new surgical suite supports increasingly complex procedures, while flexible clinical spaces allow adaptation to evolving treatment models and medical technologies.
Within the patient tower, all-private rooms offer greater comfort, privacy, and space for family members. Standardized clinical layouts, bedside charting stations, and dedicated staff corridors support efficient workflows, reduce unnecessary movement, and let caregivers spend more time with patients.
Additional campus improvements include a rooftop helipad, new parking structure, and pedestrian bridges that strengthen connections between buildings and support access to critical services.
Connecting Past and Present
The South Tower’s architectural expression responds to more than a century of development at Geisinger Medical Center. Rather than replicating a particular period, the design draws from materials found throughout the campus, including brick, metal panels, and glass.
At ground level, brick retaining walls and landscaped areas respond to elevation changes while reducing the building’s perceived scale. Wood accents introduce warmth at entrances and canopies, while striated brick references the varied masonry colors of surrounding buildings. Above the podium, a glass patient tower incorporates vertical fins and horizontal sunshades, establishing a contemporary architectural identity within the existing campus.
Landscape design further strengthens the connection to Geisinger’s history. Inspired by founder Abigail Geisinger’s appreciation for gardens, a series of intimate outdoor spaces welcomes visitors and offers respite. Abigail’s Garden, located near the main lobby, incorporates walking paths, native plantings, and seating areas for patients, visitors, and staff.
The landscape will incorporate architectural artifacts uncovered during excavation, including portions of the original hospital’s columns and signage, connecting the institution’s earliest buildings with its newest expansion.
A Sense of Place
The interior design draws inspiration from central Pennsylvania’s natural and cultural landscapes. References to the Appalachian Mountains, Susquehanna River, regional forests, trails, and historic downtowns inform the building’s materials, colors, artwork, and wayfinding.
In the two-story main lobby, expansive glazing offers views of Abigail’s Garden, while warm wood tones and regional imagery create a welcoming arrival experience. Throughout the public spaces, large-scale environmental graphics create recognizable destinations, from mountain landscapes and river imagery to scenes of the surrounding countryside.
These regional references also support navigation. Within the patient tower, elevator lobbies and family waiting areas incorporate coordinated colors and imagery that distinguish pairs of floors. Large floor numbers and recognizable visual themes help patients and visitors orient themselves, while softer colors and abstract natural patterns create a quieter atmosphere within patient care areas.
The design also weaves Geisinger’s institutional history into everyday experiences. Along the hospital’s main public concourse, historical photographs, graphics, and artifacts share stories from the institution’s past. Recessed alcoves and seating areas provide opportunities to rest along the corridor, which extends more than 400 feet between the new tower and existing facilities.
By integrating clinical planning, contextual architecture, landscape, and interior design, the South Tower expansion supports Geisinger’s continued growth while reinforcing the character and history of the communities it serves.
Meet the Design Team
