VA Health Care Center at Fort Bliss 

The Challenge

With a commitment to honoring veterans’ service and sacrifice, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs is expanding health care services at Fort Bliss for more than 54,000 veterans in west Texas and southern New Mexico. The new facility will double the size of veteran health care services in El Paso, along with increased staffing to help shorten waiting times for patients.

HKS established a joint venture with SmithGroup and joined a large design-build team led by Clark Construction. Our integrated team strives to deliver a project that exceeds the government’s building performance, security and sustainability requirements; meets the specified budget; and is completed and put into service for veterans quickly.

The Design Solution

The project began with a collaborative visioning session to determine the guiding principles. The team of architects, engineers, contractors and subcontractors has shared ownership of the project, for which the VA’s core values of Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence (known as “I CARE”) guide every decision. This shared value system has created a common language across disciplines, allowing the team to operate as a unified body.

The design phase kicked off with three days of dreaming about possibilities. We then refined the design with the construction professionals’ guidance to align with cost constraints. The team established non-negotiable design elements and worked together to keep the project within budget. Designers and contractors have maintained a continual cost-design balance throughout the project via iterative feedback, ensuring all ideas are cost-constructive without compromising the project vision.

The unified design and construction team has accelerated issue resolution, minimizing impacts on cost and schedule. As a result, we were able to promise a full project delivery in 48 months – half the time a project of this size and scope would normally take.

The project team envisions this health center as a tribute to veterans. The design of the monumental façade conveys respect and honor through the use of expansive glass and robust concrete panels, symbolizing strength and significance. The building will accommodate the diverse health care needs of veterans at all life stages, supporting younger individuals, retirees and senior citizens. Veterans guided design revisions to improve patient safety and dignity, incorporating features such as motorized wheelchair accommodations and optimized clinic layouts.

The Design Impact

The VA Health Care Center at Fort Bliss project is a testament to what can be achieved when a team operates with purpose-driven alignment, trust and collaboration. Clarity of mission – honoring veterans through dignity, healing and operational excellence – has enabled the team to transcend typical project challenges, creating a result that integrates design, performance and constructability. The project is a lasting example of the transformative power of vision, inclusivity and unified leadership, offering a replicable model for future efforts.

Reactions from both veterans and government representatives have been overwhelmingly positive, with veterans expressing gratitude for a health care facility designed to meet their needs.