A Community’s Healthcare Vision Realized

Taylor Design Helps Shape New Era for San Mateo Medical Center Health Campus

San Mateo, CA. — Taylor Design celebrated the ribbon cutting for San Mateo County Health’s Medical Center Campus, marking a milestone in a near-decade-long transformation that began with a master plan in 2016. This vision laid out the groundwork for the construction and renovation of 200,000 square feet of the campus, serving as both a modern healthcare environment and an integral part of its suburban neighborhood.

The collaboration between the County and Taylor Design, beginning with the master plan, was driven largely by the recognition that one of the older hospital buildings on campus—dubbed the “1954 Building”—would require a massive overhaul by 2030 to meet the seismic requirements of California’s Senate Bill 1953.

“With compliance changes on the horizon, the County chose to make updates proactively,” said Kevin Hinrichs, AIA, president of Taylor Design, who led the master plan process. “They needed a campus that not only met seismic requirements but also envisioned enhancing its presence as a true community asset, one that respects the neighborhood and serves everyone, including those who have historically lacked access.”

Hinrichs, together with Ravi Rao, senior interior designer with Taylor Design, led the planning effort, establishing a logical and strategic framework for the County’s vision and the phased renovation of the campus. Beginning with an extensive research process, including site assessments, staff engagement sessions, and design strategy development, the team created a master plan that recommended staff adjacencies, facility upgrades, the addition of a new Administration Building, and an enhanced hospital entry experience known as the Link Building.

Once a solid plan for execution was in place, the project moved into the design phase, led by Taylor Design as architect of record and design architect for the building’s interior. The firm partnered with Perkins & Will as the design architect for the exterior.

A Human-Scaled Approach

From the earliest phases, Taylor Design’s planning and design teams collected input and worked closely with County leaders, staff and neighbors to ensure that the redeveloped campus would reflect San Mateo’s character. The team carefully considered building height, lighting and materials to preserve neighborhood views and maintain a sense of warmth and approachability.

“Inspired by the redwood forests of San Mateo County, the building’s façade uses composite wood paneling and long, linear windows to create a tree-lined colonnade that connects the built environment with nature and wellness, aligning the architecture with the County’s goals of promoting health, calm, and recovery,” said Matt Covall, associate principal with Perkins&Will.

Inside, the Administration Building applies contemporary workplace principles, including open sightlines, abundant daylight, shared amenities and a signature central staircase. Several walls in open areas are coated with whiteboard paint, transforming them into collaborative surfaces where staff can gather to brainstorm ideas and solve problems. The goal was to encourage interaction, transparency and well-being among staff who had long worked in more traditional, enclosed environments.

“We designed these buildings to be warm, colorful and inviting,” said Stephanie L’Estrange, director of interior design with Taylor Design, “The open central stair and the cafés on every floor were all intentional, to spark serendipitous meetups and to get people moving, talking and sharing space. The thoughtful positioning of the skylight over the stair floods the space with natural light that uplifts the whole environment.”

The newly added Link Building creates a welcoming, unified entry to the campus, seamlessly connecting the hospital, administrative offices, and community amenities. Previously, visitors parked behind the hospital and navigated back corridors to reach the lobby. The Link Building reorients and simplifies the arrival sequence, offering an intuitive, light‑filled entry that leads to a public café, gift shop, and essential services such as health insurance support, billing assistance, and the San Mateo County Health Foundation, which provides resources for vulnerable patient populations beyond what insurance covers.

Community at the Center

Designed to serve as a community asset to the surrounding neighborhood, the new campus integrates green space, an exercise lawn, and a walking path that circles the grounds, all accessible to the community. Outdoor seating and gardens provide moments of respite for patients, staff and neighbors. “The hospital has long been part of this community,” said Rao. “Part of our job was to strengthen this connection; to make this a civic destination for health, not just a healthcare facility.”

To create an even stronger sense of place, the design team solicited local artists to contribute their work. Sculptural and graphic installations by Bay Area artists—including Yellow Goat Design’s impactful butterfly motif that greets visitors upon entry—bring color, movement and optimism. “The art program is an extension of the healing environment,” said L’Estrange. “The local artists’ work gives a pleasant, personal touch to the interiors.”

Collaborative Delivery

When the project’s complexity grew, the delivery approach transitioned to embrace design-build type behaviors to accelerate problem-solving and improve integration between disciplines. This shift allowed the team to enhance schedule control and cost predictability, streamline OSHPD/HCAI permitting and work together more creatively to address project challenges while reducing the County’s overall risk.

Paul Cunningham, project executive at Truebeck Construction, said, “The completion of the San Mateo Medical Center Health Campus project is a momentous occasion. We could not have done it without all of our partners in design and construction, as well as the collaboration of the hospital staff, patients, and neighbors. This project is a tremendous addition that will help serve the San Mateo community.”

Taylor Design served as the architect of record and provided master planning and interior design services. Additional project partners included: Perkins & Will, design architect, exterior; Truebeck Construction, general contractor; Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, structural engineer; Interface Engineering, MEP engineer; and BKF Engineers, civil engineer.

About Taylor Design

Taylor Design is a strategy-based design firm with practices in Architecture, Design Strategy, Interior Design and Planning. With offices and projects throughout California, we have a built a national reputation in the health and science sectors. We approach each project, regardless of complexity with a desire to enhance the user experience and create meaning through the built environment. Clients include Caltech, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Hoag, Kaiser Permanente, Providence, Sharp, Scripps, Stanford Health, Sutter, and the University of California system, among others. Visit us at wearetaylor.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Sharlett Maderazo, Brand and Communications Manager – smaderazo@wearetaylor.com

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