Elgin State Hospital

Built in a circular form, this was the first of Goldberg's completed hospital designs. The drum-shaped hospital was comprised of four cantilevered floors supported by a circular frame of monolithic concrete that housed the patient rooms. The circular portion rested on the square base of the building. The building featured external louvers that functioned as sun shades and provided a sense of physical security to the buildings occupants. The site also contained a rectangular, stand alone, laundry building connected to the hospital tower via a breezeway.

The circular form was a response to both schematic and structural challenges. While organizing structural steel requirements for a more conventional bay structure, Goldberg realized each rectilinear steel bay tended to have unique requirements that made standardization of the structural elements difficult. Ironically, a less conventional shape, the circle, was more conducive to standardization of the structural elements. Ultimately, Goldberg felt the circular form emerged from efforts to simplify some of the structural complexities.

The programmatic complexity of hospitals proved a good match for the industrial and systems interests of the firm. Soon, a large part of its project load revolved around hospitals.