A new 60,000 square foot, single-story Veterans Administration outpatient clinic built in Santa Rosa’s Northpoint Business Park offers primary and specialty care services, mental health, women veteran health services, telehealth and telemedicine, occupational and physical therapy, prosthetics, pharmacy and radiology services for active, retired or disabled military. This facility and its services complement the services currently available to veterans from the existing VA clinic near the Sonoma County Airport, and joins with six other facilities throughout the Bay Area positioned to be within a 30-minute commute for veterans living in the region, making it more convenient for patients to access essential services at a single location without having to travel to San Francisco.

“This building is being designed as a stress-free facility with everything at ground level – no stairs or elevators. The landscaping will blend in with its surroundings and the exterior will feature a combination of stone, stucco and pre-finished metal. A spacious and comfortable lobby is located just inside the main entrance,” states Steve Stecker, vice president for national health care construction at Ryan Companies, the firm that serves as the oversight and administration management team for the new VA Santa Rosa clinic.

To complement this stress-free facility, Nancy Witherell Art, an art consulting firm based in Santa Rosa, worked with the owners to commission Gordon Huether, through Santa Rosa’s Public Art in Private Development Program, to design, fabricate, and install an art installation for an outdoor area intended for counseling and as a place of reflection at the VA outpatient clinic. Gordon’s approach to the design was to support the use of the space by creating a sculptural gazebo that offered an area for gathering while exhibiting a dignified presence. “I also wanted to play with light and shadow, which is why there are stainless crescents and dichroic glass fins in the ceiling,” stated Gordon.

The completed design features a 14-foot-tall structure with a footprint of approximately 12 feet that is made of Corten steel, stainless steel, and dichroic glass. The sculpture exudes a quiet strength with its structural simplicity and selected steel material, yet its subtle play of light and shadow gives it a visual distinction that sets it apart from the facility’s straightforward aesthetic. Ultimately, Gordon’s sculpture offers a tranquil, contemplative, and immersive experience that aims to inspire and support the veterans and staff of the VA facility.