Landing Page Panel Ad Archives - HCO News https://hconews.com/tag/landing_page_panel_ad/ Healthcare Construction & Operations Thu, 22 Sep 2016 08:16:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.9 https://hconews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/cropped-HCO-News-Logo-32x32.png Landing Page Panel Ad Archives - HCO News https://hconews.com/tag/landing_page_panel_ad/ 32 32 Landmark Cancer Center to Debut in September https://hconews.com/2016/08/24/landmark-cancer-center-debut-in-september/ Wed, 24 Aug 2016 19:23:55 +0000 SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Construction concluded last month on the Landmark Cancer Center in Smithfield and is expected to open to the public in September.

The post Landmark Cancer Center to Debut in September appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Construction concluded last month on the Landmark Cancer Center in Smithfield and is expected to open to the public in September. The 14,000-square-foot facility was designed by Quincy, Ma.-based JACA Architects, and construction was completed by West Greenwich, R.I.-based Ken Jones Construction. The new Landmark Cancer Center, located on the campus of the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island consists of nine patient treatment areas along with two private treatment areas, examination rooms, physician offices, a laboratory and a pharmacy.

This project marks one of the first major renovations since the Landmark Medical Center was founded in 1988. The hospital provides health care services for more than 175,000 patients on a yearly basis.

“We are excited to see the completion of this outstanding facility,” said Tony Cavallaro, president of JACA Architects, in a statement. “We are proud to contribute to the overall quality of care provided by the Landmark Cancer Center, and hope that Landmark patients will benefit greatly from the considerations designed within the center.”

To incorporate a more sustainable design, Landmark Medical center replaced an outdated exterior storefront and installed, larger, more heat reflective windows, according to a statement. A new, energy-efficient HVAC system was also installed to heat and cool the building.

Designers also incorporated large windows and used natural light to help facilitate a calmer and more healing environment, according to a statement.

In order to make patients as comfortable as possible during their stay at Landmark, designers included individual lighting controls, video controls and Wi-Fi in each room. Additional accommodations were included for families who are spending the night.

One major challenge JACA faced was developing a design that matched the floor plan of other facilities located on the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island’s campus. During the design process, architects were able to maintain the majority of the patient room layouts and plumbing features while creating the enough space for different departments in the hospital.

According to a statement from JACA, the project cost over $3 million to build and design and construction began in fall of 2015.

JACA Architects has been involved in large-scale construction projects since 1991. They specialize in designing medical and senior-living facilities as well as health care centers.

 

The post Landmark Cancer Center to Debut in September appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
Waynesboro Hospital Undergoing Four-Phase Renovation Project https://hconews.com/2016/08/17/waynesboro-hospital-undergoing-four-phase-renovation-project/ Wed, 17 Aug 2016 00:32:37 +0000 WAYNESBORO, Pa. — Waynesboro Hospital has started work on a $6 million expansion project that will ensure patients receive the highest quality of care in an updated facility.

The post Waynesboro Hospital Undergoing Four-Phase Renovation Project appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
WAYNESBORO, Pa. — Waynesboro Hospital has started work on a $6 million expansion project that will ensure patients receive the highest quality of care in an updated facility.

Planning for the project began in 2015, but a groundbreaking ceremony took place the first week of August. Renovations are expected to be complete in the next 14 to 18 months.

Renovations will add a number of aesthetic features designed to enhance the quality of service provided by the hospital as well as the quality of care the hospital can provide.

“The overarching goal of this renovation project is to offer an even better experience for patients while they are in our care,” said Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Melissa Dubrow in a statement.

Hospital officials said the four-phase project will update the critical care and medical surgical units as well as operating rooms.

The renovation will improve the basic design of the hospital by improving storage facilities, lighting fixtures, hospital design and security systems.

Updates to the critical care unit include the closure of existing windows between some rooms, which will reduce noise and provide more privacy for patients. Ceiling lifts will also be installed in designated rooms. This will improve patient safety when the patient is being transported from bed to wheelchair.

The nurses’ station in the critical care unit will also be updated to provide a larger field of vision into patient rooms. This will help nurses ensure that all patients are safe and their needs are met.

In addition, 16 patient rooms in the medical surgical unit will receive upgrades to lighting and plumbing fixtures. One major update is the installation of hand sinks located just inside each room. This helps maximize infection control procedures already in place at the hospital.

Additionally, two nurses’ stations located in the medical surgical unit will be consolidated into one centrally located station.

Summit Health President and Chief Executive Officer Pat O’Donnell said in a statement that the project reaffirms the organization’s commitment to providing high-quality, accessible health care to community members in the Waynesboro area. Waynesboro Hospital is an affiliate of Summit Health.

“We care about the health and well-being of those living in and around Waynesboro,” O’Donnell said in a statement. “Waynesboro Hospital isn’t just a community hospital; it’s an award-winning hospital staffed by skilled clinical team members and providers who are neighbors to the patients served. We are invested in continuing to offer great care to the Waynesboro community.”

The expansion, designed by GS Architects based in Havertown, Pa., will add 230,262 square feet to the hospital. The medical surgical unit will be expanded to 17,744 square feet and the intensive care unit (ICU) will be expanded to 5,618 square feet.

 

The post Waynesboro Hospital Undergoing Four-Phase Renovation Project appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
Lakeland Health Plans $160 Million Expansion https://hconews.com/2016/08/10/lakeland-health-plans-160-million-expansion/ Wed, 10 Aug 2016 19:14:12 +0000 ST. JOSEPH, Mich—During the first week of August, Lakeland Health’s board of directors approved funding for Lakeland Medical Center’s $160 million expansion in St. Joseph. The project is expected to be complete by 2020, with a groundbreaking-ceremony taking place in October 2017.

The post Lakeland Health Plans $160 Million Expansion appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
ST. JOSEPH, Mich—During the first week of August, Lakeland Health’s board of directors approved funding for Lakeland Medical Center’s $160 million expansion in St. Joseph. The project is expected to be complete by 2020, with a groundbreaking-ceremony taking place in October 2017.

The renovation will add a new five-floor, 260,00-square-foot medical pavilion that will be updated with the latest hospital technology. The renovation will also add an additional 80,000 square feet to the existing hospital.

“Top-tier health care organizations need to continually invest and innovate in order to stay top-tier,” said Daniel Hopp, Lakeland Health board of directors chairman, in a statement. “Through our long-range capital facility plan, we have carefully evaluated, planned and executed to ensure that we remain a health system equipped to serve the next generation of our friends and neighbors.”

The pavilion will consist of new medical and surgical suites, a short-stay unit, imaging centers, an intensive care unit and education and community rooms. The main entrance of the pavilion will provide visitors with comfortable seating areas, flat screen TVs as well as areas designed to educate visitors on healthy living.

It will also include an endoscopy unit, an intensive care unit, a nuclear medicine unit, a pulmonology unit, a post-surgical unit, a critical care unit and a new wound center.

“We’re creating a new observation unit adjacent to the emergency department to care for those folks that aren’t sick enough to be in-patients but are a little too sick to send home,” said Dr. Loren B. Hamel, president and CEO of Lakeland Health, in a statement.

Additional updates to the facility will include private corridors to transport patients inside and outside of the hospital. A new main entrance will also be built which allows for easier vehicle transport of patients as well an updated look for visitors.

“Every decision made in regards to this project has been with our patients, team members and community in mind and how we can provide them with the best overall experience possible,” said Hamel in a statement. “Our hope is that through modernizations and the latest technology we will be able to save more lives, restore health to more patients, and provide the quality health care our community needs while remaining close to home.”

SmithGroup, a construction company based in Chicago will lead hospital design.

In the past five years, Lakeland Health has received a number of updates and renovations including an addition of a $7.3 million, 42,000-square-foot Lakeland Medical Suite in Niles, Mich., which houses several specialty practices and visiting specialists.

The hospital has also received a new emergency department at Lakeland Community Hospital in Niles. The project included a $7.4 million, 16,000-square-foot unit that replaced the existing emergency department.

A 57,000-square-foot Lakeland Continuing Care Center in St. Joseph was also added to replace the 40-year-old existing facility at an estimated cost of $10.5 million.

 

The post Lakeland Health Plans $160 Million Expansion appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
Growing Together at Stanford Children’s Health https://hconews.com/2016/07/27/growing-together-stanford-children-s-health/ Wed, 27 Jul 2016 20:08:14 +0000 PALO ALTO, Calif. — Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford located in Palo Alto, is undergoing a $1.2 billion expansion set to open in summer 2017.

The post Growing Together at Stanford Children’s Health appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
PALO ALTO, Calif. — Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford located in Palo Alto, is undergoing a $1.2 billion expansion set to open in summer 2017. It will add 521,000 square feet to hospital grounds as well as 149 patient beds. The project has been in development since 2006.

According to Stanford Children’s Health, the expansion will include six new surgical suites, a nuclear medicine department, three new imaging units, four diagnostic units including a cardiac “hybrid” angiography suite and more than 3.5 acres of healing gardens comprising native and adaptive vegetation.

“There are also several features that will make the new building friendlier for kids and their families,” according to Stanford Medical Magazine. “The sculptures in the garden outside the cafeteria will double as climbing structures — most of these, including an enormous wolf’s head fashioned from river rocks, have already been installed.”

The expansion will provide more access to innovative technology and top-of-the-line treatments as physicians continue to provide superior care to pediatric and obstetric patients. More than 800 physicians, surgeons, radiologists, nurses and parents have supported it, according to a hospital statement.

By making the hospital a more family-friendly place to be, the expansion will help to improve the lives of patients and their families by easing the stress of a hospital visit or long-term stay.

A story corner and broadcast studio will be included in the hospital design to make it easier for children to spend long hours waiting for family members who have been admitted, according to Stanford Medical Magazine. Each of the patient rooms will have a pull-out couch designed to sleep two people. The hospital believes these features will ease the tension associated with long-term or temporary hospital stays.

The hospital has also made an effort to improve the patient experience by selecting local and organic food choices to be served in the cafeteria and vending machines. Green housekeeping and a comprehensive recycling program will be put in place to help ensure waste is reduced.

By improving the quality of care, the hospital will also take on a more sustainable outlook. Outside, electric vehicle charging stations have been installed. Inside, water-efficient bathroom fixtures replace standard faucets and toilets. This will reduce potable water usage by 30 percent, according to a hospital statement. Rainwater, wastewater and condensation will be harvested to meet 100 percent of the irrigation needs for landscaping. This will help save more than 684,000 gallons of water per year.

To power the hospital, a renewable energy system has been put in place. This includes a wind turbine that will work to power a portion of the new renovation.

Perkins+Will, located in Chicago, and HGA Architects and Engineers, located in Minneapolis, are working on the design of the project. The Sobrato Family Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and corporate partners have contributed more than $250 million to the hospital.

The Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford officially opened its doors to the community in 1991. Since then, it has provided extraordinary care to infants, children and expectant mothers from the community.

 

The post Growing Together at Stanford Children’s Health appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
Riding the Curve to High Operational Efficiency https://hconews.com/2016/07/27/riding-the-curve-high-operational-efficiency/ Riding the Curve to High Operational Efficiency appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
The health care industry is rapidly moving away from the traditional fee-for-service delivery model toward a value-based, population-based delivery model; however, large, regional providers are still largely supported by fee-for-service care. To remain cost-competitive, health care organizations must encourage their providers to move toward a more cost-effective delivery model. In order to enable their providers to make this move, organizations need to change existing infrastructure to create a leaner working environment. They must achieve these goals with the lowest possible capital investment because the landscape is anticipated to significantly change over the next 10 years.

Historically, health care organizations have used traditional 20-, 30- or even 50-year capital financing mechanisms to fund bricks and mortar construction and have retained long-term ownership of those facilities. In this new economic environment, health care leaders need to identify other financing mechanisms that will limit their initial capital investment and enable them to cost-effectively use facilities over the next five to 10 years — for example, a lease-back arrangement with a developer for an urgent care facility. If the market changes enough in 10 years that the site is no longer functional or cost-effective, then the health care organization is not saddled with excess capacity and long-term depreciation.

The biggest question for health care leaders is, “How do we optimize our existing infrastructure to enable the organization to continue to provide quality fee-for-service, episodic care at reduced costs as we slowly move toward population health over the next eight to 10 years?” Here are insights on the data, design and performance considerations that affect optimization of a health care organization’s delivery model.

Significant Changes in the Bell Curve

The United States is on the cusp of a significant bulge in the population bell curve — and the health care industry will ride that bumpy curve. The number of baby boomers over the age of 65 is in double-digit growth year after year. The older people become, the greater their demand for and use of health care services. Moreover, their acuity levels and/or co-morbidities tend to increase, so their frequencies and lengths of stay also increase.

These trends are compounded by a current lack of access to primary care providers. As a result, hospitals will have a higher percentage of emergency and ICU cases with a higher average length of stay. In turn, the health care industry will require more high-dollar resources for staffing, facilities and materials to provide care for these sicker patients.

Within the next four to six years, the health care industry is likely to require health care financial reform on the federal level to support a shift in care from the inpatient environment to a lower-cost ambulatory care setting. In theory, this will cause the curve to plateau for a period of time. Then, as the baby boomer population declines over the next 15 years, the bell curve will be on the downward slope, reflecting the increasing dominance of the ambulatory care delivery model.

Here is the problem: The health care industry runs the risk of over-building in the interim and having excess capacity over the long-term. The solution is to find the “sweet spot” between a 30-year depreciation model on new construction and improved access for the next eight to 12 years.

Strategic Investment Decisions

Whatever the trends may be on the national level, having the right data to inform strategic investment decisions will enable a health care organization to remain competitive in its local market. The aim is to use data to leverage existing resources and operational performance to avoid long-term, capital-intensive investments in bricks and mortar — until there is no other alternative. Then, a major capital investment in new construction becomes a clear, decisive action.

What are “the right data?” Local demographic, demand, utilization and payer data by department and/or service line should be quantified to make a highly educated prediction of the curve over the next 10 years. Based on the data, the organization can develop a strategy that enables it to thrive during the next three to eight years going up the curve, ideally, one that plans for the minimal investment required to meet demand and utilization and to ensure access over the next three to five years.

At the same time, the organization needs to allow for contingency and flexibility. For example, an organization may be able to meet the projected demand for orthopedic procedures and fully use 400 to 500 square feet of OR space instead of 600 to 800 square feet. It may be able to site, design and build inexpensive space to accommodate the projected number of beds for acute care patients over the next 10 years, and then adapt the space for observation or post-acute skilled nursing.

Design Tied to Operational Efficiency

Just as quality is driven by and evaluated based on metrics, facility design and efficiency are tied to operational performance and patient outcomes. Target operational efficiency metrics are the foundation of facility design and construction. If the health care organization’s goal is to attain, and remain in, the nation’s top 25th percentile in terms of operational efficiency, then the organization’s buildings must perform to the same high standard. However, it is often difficult to quantify the direct correlation between facility variables and operational efficiency metrics, for example, between hospital travel distances and staffing ratios.

Health care planners and architects can add value to the process by clarifying these correlations and designing facilities that support lean staffing, short travel distances and high throughput, among other goals, to enable an organization to meet its operational efficiency target. Procedural rooms, in particular, have a significant impact on operational efficiency. For example, if a surgery department is designed with 20 ORs when the number of cases could be optimized in 16 ORs, then there is little pressure on schedulers, physicians and support staff to fully use block time or to ensure that standard procedural equipment is stocked on case carts at the start of every day. Health care planners can show leaders how they can optimize processes to reduce costs or repurpose four ORs to generate revenue.

Real estate decisions also have a significant impact on operational efficiency and overall cost. Moreover, for example, if the demand for an ED in a market shifts to urgent care, it will not be cost-effective to repurpose the existing ED as an urgent care center due to its high overhead, excess space and expensive infrastructure.

The lesson is to think like a commercial real estate company, which considers in advance how it will profitably leverage a building for 25 years after the first tenant leaves. A design strategy that employs lean design principles, “plug-and-play” components and standardization of physical layout, equipment and technology supports this new way of thinking by optimizing the health care delivery model and associated operational efficiencies.

Anticipating significant changes in the bell curve — as baby boomers’ demand, utilization and acuities increase and PCP access declines — health care leaders are fastening their seat belts and bracing for a bumpy ride. Leaders can optimize the delivery model for the next 10 years through effective use of data to inform strategic capital investment and performance-based design decisions.

Michelle Mader is the president at Catalyst, which provides critical and timely advisory services to health care executives by assisting them in the complex navigation of health care strategy, operational optimization and planning. She can be reached at mmader@freemanwhite.com.

 

The post Riding the Curve to High Operational Efficiency appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
Design Team Receives Praise for New Denver Health Building https://hconews.com/2016/07/26/design-team-receives-praise-new-denver-health-building/ COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — RTA Architects teamed with Denver-based Hensel-Phelps Construction to create the largest community health center in the Denver Health system in a medically underserved area of the city.

The post Design Team Receives Praise for New Denver Health Building appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — RTA Architects teamed with Denver-based Hensel-Phelps Construction to create the largest community health center in the Denver Health system in a medically underserved area of the city.

Almost four months after its opening on April 18, the new Federico F. Peña Southwest Family Health Center hums with activity. Medical Director Dr. Michael Russum said, “The patients are really impressed with it — the newness, the grandness of some of the interior spaces. Many of them say that it looks much bigger inside than how it looks on the outside. I know our staff feels grateful to work in such a nice facility.”

Several years ago, a community needs assessment revealed that the South Federal neighborhood of Denver suffered from a severe lack of health care resources and had one of the largest populations of uninsured and under-insured citizens in the city. This assessment led Denver Health to launch the design and planning of the new Federico Peña Southwest Family Health Center in 2014. Like the eight other Denver Health community health centers, the Peña Southwest Family Health Center offers a full range of primary care services and is the first urgent care outside of the main hospital campus.

According to Dr. Russum, all of the clinics with primary care have the goal of establishing a family doctor or primary care doctor to follow the patient and their extended family throughout their life. “That’s the core of the medical home model,” Dr. Russum said.

The Peña Southwest Family Health Center offers a full range of services including primary care, women’s services (WIC), pediatrics, pharmacy, dental and vision care, laboratory, radiology, insurance enrollment and integrative behavioral health.

Denver Health searched for a team of designers for the clinic that aligned with their commitment to supporting the communities they serve. RTA Architects was chosen as architect of record because of the firm’s client-centric principles and expertise in health care, education and community-based projects.

The design portion of the process began with an immersion phase in which the RTA design team shadowed current Denver Health staff at the Westside Community Health Center for several days in order to understand the clinic’s processes and user needs. The design team also toured three other existing community health centers, including Montbello, Park Hill and Lowry. Next, the team held a weeklong Lean 3P (Production, Preparation, Process) event with RTA and a multi-disciplinary Denver Health team working together to rapidly create and test potential designs. Jessica Massie, interior designer at RTA, said, “Traditionally, we talk to user groups individually and then try to mesh together all of their needs and desires into a design. This time, all of the departments came together, and we were able to massage things to work congruently. Everyone saw what decisions were being made and why.”

Design elements of the Peña Southwest Family Health Center include a large interactive children’s play zone, expansive atriums and lobbies for large community gatherings, and a multi-purpose conference room, which can be used for patient, staff and community activities. Universal signage and intuitive wayfinding allows multilingual patients to easily navigate their way through the facility. With high-quality finishes and design touches such as warm wood, slate tiles, expansive skylights and vaulted ceilings, the Peña Southwest Family Health Center evokes a warm, inviting atmosphere for families. Departments that need to be most accessible to the community, like urgent care, pharmacy and dental services, are all located near the entrance of the building.

Kevin Gould, principal and project manager at RTA said, “The experience to assist the entire Denver Health team to deliver the ninth community health center has been remarkable. DHHA and RTA’s values are closely aligned and allowed the team to achieve mutual goals; a clinic that serves individual patients, whole families and the entire community.”

Project Team
Owner: Denver Health and Hospital Authority
Architects: RTA Architects, Colorado Springs, Colo.
General Contractor: Hensel-Phelps, Denver

Sue Rose is the owner of Sue Rose PR, and founder of Construction Writers Collaborative in Denver.

The post Design Team Receives Praise for New Denver Health Building appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
Dining Facility at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Showcases Design Trend https://hconews.com/2016/07/20/dining-facility-brigham-and-women-s-hospital-showcases-design-trend/ BOSTON — The new, $11 million Garden Café @ 75 Francis, located in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, is scheduled for completion in September.

The post Dining Facility at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Showcases Design Trend appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
BOSTON — The new, $11 million Garden Café @ 75 Francis, located in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, is scheduled for completion in September. The new dining experience represents a trend in health care design that is intended to enhance the end-user experience for patients, visitors and hospital staff, according to Cambridge, Mass.-based Bruner/Cott Architects who worked on the renovation project, which began in early 2015.

The existing north-facing dining area — located on the second floor of a 1970s building — has low ceilings, limited daylight and views to a service street, according to a statement from Bruner/Cott Architects. The new dining experience will be include renovating the existing 13,500 square feet of space and an addition of 1,500 square feet. The designers hope to greatly improve the interior environment, as it will join the two north pods of the second floor through an addition, replace the exterior building skin and completely renovate the cafeteria area to include enhanced seating for 292 guests. The additional introduction of large planting beds, natural light and views to the exterior, are part of a wider initiative by the hospital to bring a stronger presence of nature and respite to its campus, according to Bruner/Cott Architects.

The project team includes:
Owner: BWH/Partners HealthCare
Architect: Bruner/Cott Architects
General Contractor: Suffolk Construction
Food Service Consultant: Colburn & Guyette
Landscape Architect: KMDG
MEP Engineers: BR+A
Structural Engineers: McNamara Salvia
Lighting Designer: Lewis Lighting
Civil Engineer: VHB
Envelope Consultant: Gale & Associates

The exterior of the dining facility will feature a new glass addition that will provide views along Shattuck Street as well as the newly landscaped areas that will be visible to those inside. Along with crucial design elements, the entire dining menu is also being upgraded to provide healthy dining options that support the hospital’s mission of improving health.

The open-ceiling concept will feature wood grill decorative panels, terrazzo floors, quartzite counters, three-form decorative green glass and Porcelanosa large format sculptured wall tile.
 

The post Dining Facility at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Showcases Design Trend appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
Construction Beings on OHSU Knight Cancer Institute https://hconews.com/2016/07/20/construction-beings-on-ohsu-knight-cancer-institute/ PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) on June 16 hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Knight Cancer Institute research building.

The post Construction Beings on OHSU Knight Cancer Institute appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) on June 16 hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Knight Cancer Institute research building. The new $160 million, 320,000-square-foot facility will house myriad research programs focused on early cancer detection, computational biology and immuno-oncology, among others.

The joint venture team of national construction firm McCarthy Building Companies Inc. and Andersen Construction of Portland (McCarthy/Andersen) were selected to construct the institute, which will house up to 600 researchers and administrators. The team has partnered with architect SRG Partnership Inc. (SRG) of Seattle on the project, which is expected to be complete in July 2018.

Beyond state-of-the-art research and wet lab spaces, the building will include administrative offices, a conference center, cafés, street-level retail space and an integrated parking structure. Two floors will be dedicated to the Early Cancer Detection Center, offering a collaborative environment for the multidisciplinary research team dedicated to early detection research.

“As a Portland-based builder, we are thrilled to be constructing this highly anticipated institution, which will greatly enhance the research function and capabilities for the Knight Cancer Institute researchers,” said Andersen Construction Vice President Todd Duwe.

A primary goal of the Knight Cancer Institute is to foster “team science,” in which interdisciplinary teams conduct targeted research in early detection and treatment, according to a statement by McCarthy Building Companies. In response, the design team focused on collaboration and interaction, employing various design strategies to create a joint work environment featuring shared spaces, core laboratories, small-group informal workspaces, and visual transparency via interior glazing. Meanwhile, a central kitchen, an “intellectual lounge” for researchers and casual seating throughout the building will facilitate opportunities for social interaction.

The building’s exterior architectural design will clearly articulate floors two through five, where the research laboratories will be located, and will provide a high-performance skin emphasizing daylighting and solar control, according to a statement by McCarthy. A rooftop terrace and exterior balconies will capitalize on views to the Willamette River and Cascade Mountains. A 200-seat auditorium and additional meeting rooms will create a ground floor Conference Center for a wide variety of events, along with a retail café and other amenities that create an area open and available to the public.

“This facility will foster life-saving research in a highly synergistic environment, and the project team is employing a similar comprehensive design and construction process through a customized integrated project delivery model,” said Tim Albiani, McCarthy’s project executive. “We have been conjointly working to with the architectural team and our co-located trade partners to jointly develop design scopes that both align with the project budget as well as allow the team to identify challenges and provide solutions prior to the design implementation. The project construction team is utilizing cutting-edge technologies, including virtual reality and lean construction practices, which are helping us reach our full potential as an integrated design and building team.”

 

The post Construction Beings on OHSU Knight Cancer Institute appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
Combining Privacy & Safety in Health Care Design https://hconews.com/2016/07/06/combining-privacy-safety-in-health-care-design/ Privacy is a patient’s right even more so than it is a courtesy. While much has been made of protecting a patient’s medical information and files, it is equally important to safeguard a patient’s physical privacy during exams, consultations and hospital stays.

The post Combining Privacy & Safety in Health Care Design appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
Privacy is a patient’s right even more so than it is a courtesy. While much has been made of protecting a patient’s medical information and files, it is equally important to safeguard a patient’s physical privacy during exams, consultations and hospital stays. Physical privacy provides comfort and dignity at a time when those in medical-need can be at their most vulnerable. As such, it is important that privacy solutions in exam rooms and other patient-sensitive areas are easily adjustable to balance ongoing staff monitoring with auditory and visual privacy.

Safety is another critical patient consideration – especially fire safety. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), thousands of fires occur in U.S. health care facilities each year. For example, between 2006 and 2010, the NFPA reports U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 6,240 structure fires in or on health care properties per year. Designing patient spaces for optimal fire safety is therefore essential, and using such companies as Statcomm Inc. to get the right fire safety equipment is key. However, for health care building teams, this can prove challenging in areas requiring adjustable patient privacy.

Curtains and blinds most frequently control vision and privacy levels in health care settings. However, curtains cannot be adjusted for partial visibility, and blinds leave visual gaps and are further prone to misalignment. In addition, neither solution provides any mitigation against potential fire hazards. To help resolve this dilemma, building teams are increasingly seeking patient privacy solutions with readily adjustable privacy controls and competent fire-retardant capabilities.

Privacy Control Solutions

While architects have many adjustable privacy control solutions at their disposal, very few meet the following fire, life safety and privacy requirements present in hospitals.

Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act of 1996 (HIPAA) regulations apply not just to the protection of personal health records and information, but also to visual and acoustic privacy. In terms of facility design, workstations need to consider the visual privacy of print and digital patient medical information. Patient accommodations, operating and examination rooms need to account for acoustic and visual privacy.

Adjustable vision control is key to managing a patient’s privacy. It is imperative windows and doors provide adjustable visibility and privacy levels that allow for discreet or full observation by health care personnel, while still preventing patients from feeling observed and exposed. When necessary, such privacy controls should also allow for complete blocking of light and vision.

Hygiene is critical to any health care environment. From a design perspective, this entails products with easy-to-clean finishes and features, free of crevices and joints that can accumulate dust and dirt and pose barriers to effective cleaning. While curtains and blinds can provide some privacy, they are far from ideal in terms of hygiene and maintenance.

Compartmentation, or the use of fire-rated materials to sub-divide spaces, is an effective design technique for helping contain the spread of fire and smoke. According to the NFPA 1994 Life Safety Code Handbook (section 6-1.1.1), “lack of compartmentation and rapid fire development have been primary factors in numerous multiple-fatality fires.” Given the importance of compartmentation, applicable building codes, such as the 2012 International Building Code (IBC), set out provisions for fire-rated materials. In many modern health care facility designs, fire-rated glazing is one specialty material used to satisfy stringent building codes in a patient-focused manner, meeting other goals such as improving occupant well-being with access to natural light.

Developing an Optimal Solution

When considering all the factors and building guidelines, an optimal solution for patient privacy, hygiene and safety combines adjustable louvers within fire-rated glass. For example, Unicel Architectural and Technical Glass Products (TGP) partnered to combine Unicel’s Vision Control louvers-in-glass with Pilkington Pyrostop fire-rated glass from TGP – the first such product assembly to be classified and labeled with Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and provide fire-ratings up to 90 minutes.

By combining hermetically sealed, adjustable louvers within fire-resistant glazing, this type of solution can address both safety and privacy concerns and can further provide the following advantages:

• Design flexibility: Such clear fire-rated glazing systems resemble ordinary window glass, greatly expanding design flexibility in areas required to provide protection from the scorching heat of building fires.

• Customizable: The sealed glass unit combining louvers within glass can typically be customized to virtually any shape for interior or exterior hospital glazing applications.

• Safety: The fire-rated and impact safety-rated glazing material blocks radiant heat, helping protect people and valuables on the non-fire side of the glass where heat transfer might be a concern.

• Hygiene: The louvers are hermetically sealed for optimal hygiene conditions.

• Vision control: The louvers offer completely adjustable privacy – 80 percent visibility when opened and 100 percent blocking when closed.

• Sound control: The louvers-within-glass product assembly offers sound wave barriers on par with concrete blocks for tranquility in any setting.

In Application – Glendale Adventist Medical Center

The Glendale Adventist Medical Center’s (GAMC) new 35,000-square-foot West Tower III includes seven stories for expanded patient care and encompasses leading-edge approaches to patient technology, comfort, convenience and safety. To help ensure patient safety and privacy, project architects had stringent requirements for privacy controls on interior windows and doors to be hygienic, adjustable, easy-to-operate and fire-resistant per UL fire-rating standards. They selected Vision Control integrated louvers combined with Pilkington Pyrostop glazing to give GAMC patients the peace of mind that comes with knowing that their privacy solution is protected by glazing with enhanced fire-resistant capabilities.

A total of 40 Pilkington Pyrostop/Vision Control units with double crank handles were installed in interior locations on the third and fourth floors using 45-minute fire-resistance-rated glazing on both sides of the units. The combined Vision Control and Pilkington Pyrostop glazing assembly has been classified and labeled with UL for doors, windows, transoms and sidelights.

Co-authors:
Jeff Razwick is the president of Technical Glass Products (TGP), a supplier of fire-rated glass and framing systems, and other specialty architectural glazing.

Jean-Francois Couturier is the president and CEO of Unicel Architectural located in Montreal, Quebec. Under his leadership, Unicel has successfully built a global brand for high-end aluminum and glazing solutions that help control sunlight, heat, sound and visibility.
 

The post Combining Privacy & Safety in Health Care Design appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Honored at Annual Award Ceremony https://hconews.com/2016/06/28/rancho-los-amigos-national-rehabilitation-center-honored-annual-award-ceremony/ BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.

The post Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Honored at Annual Award Ceremony appeared first on HCO News.

]]>
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — The Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center design-build team of Taylor Design, McCarthy Building Companies Inc., SmithGroupJJR (all companies working out of a California-based office) and Los Angeles Department of Public Works was honored at the 46th Annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards hosted by the Los Angeles Business Council (LABC) on June 16 at the Beverly Hilton. The event, which drew an audience of 500 leading design and building professionals, along with top city officials, recognized 35 architectural and design projects for setting new standards of design excellence, innovation and sustainability.

More than 200 projects competing in categories ranging from education and health care to housing and commercial office space vied for this year’s Architectural Awards. Juries representing a cross section of industry experts selected the winners, recognizing the entire team of architects, contractors, project managers and developers who collaborated to create and build their visionary project.

A winner in the Under Construction category, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, located in Downey, Calif., is one of the nation’s leading hospitals for rehabilitative medicine. The existing complex, which has been in operation since 1888, is owned and operated by the county of Los Angeles. It is located on the northern part of a 212-acre historic campus, to the southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. Drawing inspiration from the rich history of Rancho Los Amigos and a historic mission-style building on-site, the structures encircle a central plaza defining the heart of the campus, according to a statement by Taylor Design. An iconic tower references this architectural language, while emphasizing the campus’ central core and providing wayfinding cues.

Conceptually, the team referenced the weaving therapy that became synonymous with Rancho Los Amigos around the turn of the century, according to Taylor Design. The award-winning project, which is currently under construction, encompasses several structures including: renovation and extension to the existing Inpatient Hospital, a new Outpatient Building, and a new Wellness and Aquatics Center; all blending seamlessly into one cohesive campus.

The project, which broke ground in August 2015, is split into two phases. Phase I, which includes the Wellness & Aquatic Therapy Center, will be completed in August 2016. Additional Phase I work, which is scheduled for completion in 2018, entails the hospital extension and renovation, medical outpatient building, warehouse, and site and infrastructure improvements. Phase II, which includes construction of the outpatient facilities and renovations to research and administrative buildings, is scheduled to complete in 2020. The estimated cost of the project is $418 million. The estimate for Phase I alone is $210 million.

“It is a great honor to receive this recognition. We’re proud of the contribution we’ve made to the architectural landscape of Los Angeles with this outstanding campus. Taylor Design, SmithGroupJJR and McCarthy Building Companies have worked together with the Los Angeles Department of Public Works to honor the incredible legacy of Rancho Los Amigos,” said Taylor Design President D. Randy Regier, in a statement. “From the beginning, our team’s work was focused on the patient journey. This emphasis informed the planning and design to create an environment that supports the incredible level of patient care being delivered within this historic and important community health care campus.”

The team includes Executive Architect Taylor Design; Contractor McCarthy Building Companies Inc.; Design Architect SmithGroupJJR; Building Owner Los Angeles Department of Public Works; and Rancho Los Amigos.

“The winners of this year’s Architectural Awards demonstrate how exceptional architectural designs can inspire our community and invigorate our city while also addressing critical policy needs,” said Mary Leslie, president of the Los Angeles Business Council.

 

The post Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Honored at Annual Award Ceremony appeared first on HCO News.

]]>