Kern River Clinic

The Kern River Clinic brings healthcare access to remote central California, where immediate medical care is often out of reach. Our design proposes an intimate campus of community-focused care spaces, with nature paths and secluded areas that support connection and reflection. Three buildings provide outpatient and inpatient care facilities, on-site staff housing for visiting doctors and nurse practitioners, a community room, and an open-air meditation chapel. Grouped around a central courtyard and gathering space, these structures are clad in wood and glass, blending easily with the natural environment while inviting views into the indoor spaces.

Colonnades on the structures’ perimeters support overhangs and create long walkways that encourage movement, connection with nature, and moments of pause. Heavy timber elements establish a steady rhythm on the buildings’ facades and echo the structural system of vernacular bridges and agricultural buildings, rounding out the clinic’s connection to its locale.