Photo courtesy Petersen Aluminum
Cherokee Nation history comes to the fore in the design of the Vinita Health Center.
Located in Vinita, Oklahoma, the 8547-m2 (92,000-sf) facility is the newest addition to the Cherokee Nation Health System—the largest tribally owned healthcare system in the United States.
To reflect history, the design team turned to construction materials commonly used during and after the Civil War, which marks an important era in the Cherokee Nation.
“The concept for the Vinita Center started with the idea that architecture should be familiar to the local population,” said Breck Childers, project architect for Childers Architects in Fort Smith, Arkansas. “At the same time, it should reflect the culture and values of the people it serves.”
As Cherokees fought in both the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War, the Vinita Health Center features original Cherokee art and lithographs depicting events during that period and how it affected members of the Cherokee Nation.
Two battles at nearby Cabin Creek also saw Cherokees fighting Cherokees. After the war, the time frame spanning 1861 to 1880 became known as one of ‘Fighting and Healing,’ which also played into Vinita’s design.
“The structures of that time frame relied heavily on wood and stone construction materials,” Childers said. “We added the metal roof because of its durability and the desire to be consistent with the standing seam roofs generally used on most other Cherokee Nation buildings.”
The facility is the system’s second-largest center and replaces a previous 372-m2 (4000-sf) clinic.
Approximately 4041 m2 (43,500 sf) of 22-gauge, 304.8-mm (12-in.) wide proprietary metal panels were installed on the structure’s roof. The design team chose a granite color for the panels, rather than the dark green used on most other Cherokee Nation buildings, to help meet Silver certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC’s) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.
