Located within Orlando’s “Medical City” at Lake Nona, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center stands as an environment created to both heal and honor those who have served our country.
Spanning 62 acres and encompassing approximately 1.1 million square feet, the campus provides a full continuum of inpatient and outpatient services for Veterans across Central Florida. The program includes a 134-bed hospital, a 60-bed residential rehabilitation facility, multispecialty clinics accommodating up to 600,000 annual visits, diagnostic and treatment areas, a chapel, warehouse, and two 1,200-car parking structures—all designed around accessibility, efficiency, and dignity.
A Vision for a New Paradigm in Care
The Department of Veterans Affairs challenged the RLF / Ellerbe Becket Joint Venture to create a medical campus that would set a new benchmark for Veteran care. The goal: a symmetrical, monumental, and enduring facility that communicates stability and respect while integrating the latest sustainable and patient-centered technologies.
“From the start, there was one consistent thread,” recalls Senior Medical Planner Tom Huggett. “It was always 1,158,293 square feet—not one foot over or under. Every drop of it was needed, and every square foot had to serve a purpose.”
The design vision evolved early in the process as new leadership at the Orlando VA brought a renewed emphasis on the symbolism of strength and dignity. The symmetrical composition of the hospital and clinic reflects that discipline, conveying order, calm, and permanence.
The site itself offered no easy start. “What we settled on really had nothing on it,” says Huggett. “It was swamp—flat, undeveloped land being shaped into what would become Lake Nona.” Gary Marchese, Construction Contract Administrator, remembers the magnitude of transformation: “This site was basically Florida swampland, filled in with six to eight feet of earth across 62 acres. It was one of the largest and most complex projects I had ever worked on.”
Digital Precision and Planning Innovation
From the beginning, the Orlando VA Medical Center became a testing ground for the VA’s new digital design tools. “It was the first project of this scale for us to use Revit, and thank goodness,” notes Huggett. “We weren’t drawing lines anymore. We were assembling real entities: walls, doors, equipment. It was like working with building blocks.”
It was also the VA’s first use of SEPS (Space and Equipment Planning System), a platform previously exclusive to the Military Health System. The RLF team helped the VA define its own criteria for SEPS use while translating an extensive Excel-based program into a model they could test, measure, and optimize through BIM. That digital integration allowed the team to track every space and piece of equipment bringing new levels of clarity, accuracy, and accountability to federal healthcare planning.
Healing Through Simplicity
The architecture embodies “deceptive simplicity,” a calm and legible expression that conceals the complexity beneath. A sweeping curved roof unites the hospital and clinic, guiding visitors along a central glass concourse from outpatient care to diagnostic and inpatient zones. Natural light floods interior spaces, while landscaped courtyards and water views offer moments of calm for patients and staff.
“Symmetry brings a sense of seriousness and strength,” Huggett explains. “Veterans are accustomed to hierarchy and respect. We wanted the building to reflect that—to feel grounded and enduring, but never heavy.”
Two centrally located parking structures ensure ease of access for all visitors, particularly the elderly population the facility serves. Below ground, an automated tunnel system moves supplies and waste unseen, preserving the serenity of public spaces above.
A Place to Reflect: Central Florida Veterans Memorial Park
Extending the hospital’s mission of healing and remembrance, the Central Florida Veterans Memorial Park at Lake Nona stands as both a physical and emotional complement to the medical campus. Aligned with the hospital’s central axis and connected by a community walking trail, the memorial serves the six-county Central Florida region honoring more than 1,100 service members who have given their lives in conflicts dating back to World War I.
Designed pro bono by RLF, the memorial embodies two intertwined purposes: to heal and to educate. A public gathering space, anchored by a grand arch and amphitheater, welcomes ceremonies and community events—honoring collective memory through shared experience. Beyond it, more intimate belvederes extend toward the lake, where panels etched with names invite quiet reflection. As night falls, an eternal flame and softly lit infinity pool cast a rhythmic glow across the water, creating a luminous gesture of remembrance.
Sustainability and Performance
The Orlando VA Medical Center achieved LEED Silver certification, outperforming ASHRAE baseline standards by 57%. Energy-efficient systems, daylighting strategies, and healthy material selections enhance both operational performance and occupant well-being.
Behind that achievement was rigorous coordination across design and construction teams. “The project took about five years to complete, in multiple phases,” says Marchese. “We started with the infrastructure and energy plant, then moved through each of the main buildings. It was a massive team effort—four contractors, countless consultants—all working toward one goal.”
Recognition and Legacy
Since opening, the Orlando VA Medical Center has been widely recognized for both design excellence and lasting impact on veteran care:
2018 Built Award of Honor, AIA Orlando
2014 Eagle Award – Veterans Memorial, ABC Central Florida
2012 Outstanding Project of the Year, Central Florida Engineers’ Week
2012 Eagle Award – Excellence in Construction (Healthcare), ABC Central Florida
2012 Eagle Award – Excellence in Construction (CEP & Community Living Center), ABC Central Florida
2010 Award of Merit, Unbuilt Category, AIA Orlando
2010 AIA TAP BIM Award – Creating Stellar Architecture through BIM, AIA National
A decade later, the pride remains palpable. “I fly over that building every time I leave Orlando,” says Huggett. “I look down with pride. People are proud to work there—and proud to visit there.” Together, the medical center and memorial form a unified landscape of care—a place where architecture serves both body and spirit, and where every line drawn was, in the truest sense, an act of respect.