West Drive Patient Entrance

The NIH West Drive entrance is the principal entrance to the campus for Clinical Center patients and patient visitors. It was designed to be functionally and aesthetically compatible with the rest of the campus Perimeter Security System while addressing the unique requirements for processing Clinical Center patients onto the campus.

The entrance consists of a 600sf Processing Building with two inbound vehicle inspection lanes on either side of the building. A roof canopy extends over those lanes, providing protection for staff and patients entering the processing building. There is an express lane to the east of lane 2 for use by extended stay patients, as well as refuse and emergency vehicles. A ballistic–resistant conditioned guard booth remotely located from the Processing Building adjacent to the express lane and provides greater visibility of the surrounding area for security personnel.

The small 600 sf Processing Building is scaled appropriately and reflects a contemporary design through simple, minimal, yet elegant articulation of the façade. The metal roof is a simple monolithic structure cantilevered symmetrically over the two inbound inspection lanes.