Healthcare

The new 39-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Beacon Children’s Hospital in South Bend, Ind., features enhanced single-family rooms (SFR) and couplet care rooms (CCR), two new room designs that expand clinical functionality and family accommodation in the NICU. The hospital’s NICU staff holds the conviction that babies belong with their parents whenever possible, and desired to make this practice available not only in the SFRs but also for postpartum mothers who are still patients. Previously, some mildly ill or premature babies were taken to the mother’s postpartum room to accomplish this, but most babies were not eligible due to the severity of their illness. Both types of rooms in the new NICU are designed to accommodate mothers who are still patients immediately after birth. This facilitates early bonding between mother and child, which historically has been limited during the first few days of a NICU baby’s life.

The University of Kentucky opened the first phase of its $265 million health research facility in September of 2018. Located in Lexington, the six-story, 300,000-sf building accommodates the study of health disparities in conditions including cancer, diabetes, obesity, and substance abuse. Designed by HGA Architects and Engineers, the multidisciplinary research facility features open labs with collocated computational and wet bench space. The first phase of construction included completion of the first three floors and parts of the basement level.

Mayo Clinic is planning a $648 million expansion of its Phoenix medical facilities. The Arizona Forward Project will add 1.4 million square feet to the existing 1.7 million-sf campus, increasing the number of inpatient beds from 280 to 374. A six-story patient tower will be constructed offering an outpatient surgery center, clinical offices, inpatient rooms, and rehabilitation space. The emergency department will be housed in a new three-story structure that will also accommodate laboratory medicine, radiology, and pharmacy.

Johns Hopkins Medicine opened the $95 million All Children's Education and Research Facility in September of 2018 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Designed by HDR, the 225,000-sf project provides advanced simulation training suites, research labs, instructional spaces, administrative offices, a biorepository, and a 400-seat auditorium.

The University of Michigan Health System opened the $175 million Brighton Center for Specialty Care in September of 2018. Offering over 50 adult and pediatric specialty services, the two-story, 297,000-sf ambulatory care facility provides a comprehensive musculoskeletal center, surgical suites, a sleep lab, an infusion therapy clinic, and a radiation oncology center. The project also houses the Kellogg Eye Center, a cardiovascular clinic, and a magnetic resonance imaging suite.

The United Kingdom's Medical Research Council is planning to build the £75 million London Institute of Medical Sciences. Designed by Hawkins\Brown, the 110,000-sf project will provide collaborative biomedical research facilities including two CL-2 biocontainment labs, vibration-mitigated imaging suites, core biotechnology labs, write-up areas, and a data center. The nine-story facility is being created in partnership with Imperial College London and will accommodate up to 45 research groups currently dispersed around Hammersmith Hospital.

UT Southwestern Medical Center and Texas Health Resources are partnering to build the $270 million Texas Health Hospital Frisco. The 325,000-sf complex will offer an 80-bed acute care hospital with a 24/7 emergency department, surgical services, women’s services, and a neonatal intensive care unit. A 120,000-sf medical office will accommodate multiple medical specialties including space for the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute and the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. Occupancy is expected in late 2019. 

UMass Memorial Medical Center is engaged in a multi-phase modernization initiative at its Worcester hospital campus. Upgrades to major public spaces have been completed, including a new atrium in the main pedestrian artery. Comprising 250,000 sf, the MC2020 modernization project was designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative and is being built by Consigli Construction. The current phase involves upgrades to interior finishes and spaces including corridors, department entries, wayfinding graphics, and the chapel.

The University of Nebraska opened a $43.9 million nursing and health complex in Lincoln in July of 2018. Designed by Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture, the three-story, 107,000-sf project accommodates both the University of Nebraska Medical Center's College of Nursing and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Health Center. The $19.8 million nursing facility features technology-rich simulation suites, collaborative classrooms, and learning areas for small groups.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is building the new Pinnacle Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. Designed by Stantec to provide integrated, patient-centric care, the 220,000-sf facility will offer 130 private rooms, surgical suites with robotic technologies, cardiovascular catheterization labs, a labor and delivery unit, a 14-bed critical care unit, and a 28-room emergency department. An adjacent 75,000-sf building will house an outpatient surgery center, an imaging suite, an infusion center, and other support functions.

Arthrex is building a $74 million medical device manufacturing complex in Anderson County, S.C. The project includes construction of a 250,000-sf production plant and a 40,000-sf operations building providing corporate offices, a clinic, and a cafeteria. The facility is sited on 200 acres and will be accompanied by a 936-space parking area. The project team includes LAI Design Group and general contractor Brasfield & Gorrie. Ground was broken on the project in March of 2018 and completion is expected in early 2019.

WVU Medicine broke ground in June of 2018 on a women's and children's tower in Morgantown, W.V. Located at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, the $152 million facility will feature a 61-bed neonatal ICU, a 25-bed pediatric ICU, a 39-bed pediatric acute care unit, a 30-bed labor and delivery unit, and a medical office building housing subspecialty clinics. Designed by IKM, the eight-story tower will offer private patient rooms (with 11 NICU rooms for twins) as well as a pharmacy, a laboratory, an imaging suite, and operating rooms.

Harvard University's Center for Climate Health and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE) has created the Healthy Buildings Program to study the effects of the built environment on health, productivity, and wellbeing. The nine foundations of a healthy building can optimize occupant health, preferably in a smoke-free environment with active design to promote movement.

Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health broke ground in June of 2018 on a $349 million outpatient facility in Richmond. Designed by HDR, the 16-story, 603,000-sf project will provide a consolidated location for VCU Massey Cancer Center's outpatient services, as well as housing diagnostic labs, imaging suites, a rehabilitation center, and clinical space for orthopedics, pulmonology, urology, and gynecology.

Hackensack Meridian Health opened the $265 million HOPE Tower at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in June of 2018. Located in Neptune, N.J. the 10-story, 300,000-sf cancer research and treatment facility features a 58,000-sf patient care center offering radiation therapy, medical oncology, surgical specialties, and minimally invasive therapies. The tower also includes biomedical research labs, a 6,500-sf simulation training center, a 200-seat conference auditorium, a clinical trials center, and space for academic programs.