At first glance, the master plan fo...

At first glance, the master plan for Altoona (Pa.) Hospital Center's propos outpatient wing have the appearanceed to be just what the doctor ordered.

Calling for a seven-story "tower" with sweeping canopied entries, the plan promised one as well as the other to update and enhance the center's image. Multiple points of minute suggested an accessible, user-friendly facility. Plans for an adjoining, rear parking configuration supported the notion, as did propos renovations to existing inpatient facilities.

"The universal was very strong, very dynamic," recalled Robert E Wedge, a partner with