Strategic Plans

Vermeulens has released its market outlook report for the third quarter of 2020. Key points include:

The Ohio State University is planning to construct a $1.79 billion inpatient hospital at Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. Providing 820 beds in private rooms, the 1.9 million-sf complex will integrate exceptional patient care environments with leading-edge facilities for research, medical education, and clinical training. Designed by HDR, the hospital will include an emergency department, surgical suites, an imaging center, a neonatal intensive care unit, and a 1,900-space parking garage.

Drexel University is partnering with Wexford Science+Technology to create the Drexel Academic Tower in Philadelphia. Construction began in July of 2020 on the structure, which will provide Drexel with 450,000 sf of rented space in the University City district. The College of Nursing and Health Professions will be located in the building, with classes beginning in fall of 2022.

UC Davis Health will renovate an existing 194,000-sf facility to provide consolidated administrative space in Rancho Cordova, Calif. Designed by Stantec, the $48 million project will enhance efficiency for several operational groups by creating a central collaborative location. Offering flexible workstation environments, focus rooms, huddle areas, conference rooms, and gathering spaces, the building will accommodate employees working in human resources, finance, revenue, information technology, and executive leadership.

Fitwel launched its Viral Response module in July of 2020. The platform provides annual, third-party building certification of policies and practices informed by the latest public health research on mitigating the spread of infectious diseases. Fitwel, a healthy building certification system operated by The Center for Active Design, was originally created by the U.S. General Services Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Howard University is partnering with Adventist HealthCare to create a $450 million academic teaching hospital in Washington, D.C. Featuring a Level I trauma center, the 600,000-sf, 225-bed complex will offer state-of-the-art facilities for patient care and medical education. An adjacent building housing clinical offices will also be constructed. Completion is expected in 2025 or 2026.

Pivotal is partnering with Optum and Array Analytics to offer a live webinar at 12:00 PM (EDT) on July 29, 2020. "It's Time to Be Agile: Planning for the Future of Healthcare" will explore the integration of healthcare strategic planning with asset management and facilities planning. The session will detail ways that data can be leveraged through technology to enable health systems to quickly adapt to market transformations.

Topics will include:

The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) approved a healthy buildings resolution in June of 2020. "Advancing Healthy Buildings in the Fight Against COVID-19" will support the implementation of integrated solutions for the design and operation of public facilities.

LEO A DALY published a white paper in June of 2020 detailing strategies for academic campus operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Created by a group of planners, architects, and engineers specializing in higher education, the report explores how emerging guidelines can be applied to existing buildings. The team applied design thinking to three key areas:

Purdue University released the "Protect Purdue" strategic reopening plan in June of 2020. Incorporating the latest scientific guidance, the university has developed an array of tools and operational protocols to safely resume campus activities while limiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The plan aims to create a culture of safety and accountability through a universal pledge by students, faculty, and staff to assume personal responsibility for protecting themselves, others, and the Purdue community.

Access to quick, reliable, and repeated testing has been one of the greatest challenges for businesses, institutions, and individuals during the SARS-CoV-2 crisis. HOK has partnered with Germfree Laboratories to design a mobile testing lab that will help large organizations to meet this urgent need. These self-contained biocontainment facilities can provide advanced, onsite capabilities for any setting.

Intertek, a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide, is enabling companies to re-open for business with the highest health and safety standards in place through its innovative Protek program. Protek harnesses science-based processes and protocols to mitigate environmental health risks in facilities, from existing buildings to new construction projects.

The Texas A&M University System is planning to reopen its 11 campuses in fall of 2020 for in-person instruction and residence. Incorporating the latest guidelines from infectious disease experts and local, state, and federal officials, Texas A&M has created a strategic plan that prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of students and faculty and minimizes the risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Classes will begin in mid-August with the semester ending prior to Thanksgiving.

The University of Mount Union has created an innovative plan to safely resume instructional and residential operations in fall of 2020 in Alliance, Ohio. As well as making modifications to all areas of campus including classrooms, housing, dining areas, and group meeting spaces, the university will implement the Social Distancing Learning Model which includes both face-to-face and remote instruction. 

Catalent is rapidly scaling up its manufacturing capacity in Bloomington to enable production of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate that is currently being by developed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. The collaboration involves joint investment from Catalent and Janssen to enable large-scale commercial manufacturing by January of 2021, with segregated cGMP production lines operating 24/7 to create approximately a billion doses.