Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Project Area: 91,000

Year Completed: 2016

Project Description:

Since 1971, Gift of Life Michigan has been performing transplant and tissue surgeries in hospitals and surgery centers throughout the state. To expand their mission of maximizing organ and tissue donation, the organization wanted to develop an Organ Procurement Center at their existing facility. The goal of the project was to unite the two buildings on their site and provide them with state-of-the-art surgical facilities.

The surgical suite includes two tissue and two organ procurement rooms which are more than 700 SF providing ample space for multiple donor recovery teams. Additionally, the team at Gift of Life recognizes the emotional impact organ donation and procurement has on family members and friends as well as the surgical team, which is why the renovation included an abundant use of natural light and a roof garden for reflection and meditation.

A multipurpose event center, for up to 300 people, was also included in the design for staff meetings, lectures, donor family celebrations, conferences, educational opportunities, and fundraising events.

Gift of Life Michigan—a non-profit organization in Ann Arbor working as a liaison between donors, hospitals, and transplant centers—is Michigan’s only federally designated organ and tissue recovery program, providing all services necessary for organ donation in Michigan.