DAVIS, Calif.—McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. (McCarthy), in collaboration with SmithGroup and UC Davis Health, has announced the groundbreaking of the UC Davis Health California Tower project, a transformative healthcare facility set to redefine patient care and community health in Sacramento. This 910,000 square-foot, $3.7 billion project promises to enhance health outcomes and support the socioeconomic fabric of the region. 

The California Tower will feature a 14-story hospital facility and a five-story pavilion, adding 334 private patient rooms designed to improve recovery and reduce infection rates. This state-of-the-art facility, connected to the existing Surgery and Emergency Services Pavilion, also includes two helicopter landing decks, advanced imaging and support services, and complex procedure rooms, ensuring comprehensive healthcare delivery for the next 50 years. 

The progressive design-build project has been marked by strategic planning and strong collaboration from the start, allowing the teams to navigate the project’s duration and scope more easily. “We proactively developed a comprehensive staffing rotation strategy from the project’s inception, ensuring team well-being and continual growth,” said Bryan Anderson, Executive Vice President, Operations at McCarthy. “With such a big team working on a large healthcare project, culture is very important. We dedicated time early on focusing on our culture as a team and outlining how we want to behave, operate, communicate, and treat each other.” 

UC Davis Health has a longstanding commitment to providing high-quality care, especially to underserved populations. The California Tower project is an extension of this mission, offering a robust health care safety net and addressing the region’s hospitalization needs. The project will create hundreds of construction jobs, utilize local vendors, and upon completion, provide permanent employment opportunities, thereby contributing to community wealth-building and addressing social determinants of health. 

“The mission of UC Davis Health is to improve the health and well-being of our community, and the California Tower project is a significant step toward achieving that goal. This state-of-the-art facility will increase our bed capacity to provide a flexible facility to handle all levels of specialized care. The most vulnerable populations will have access to high-quality healthcare services,” said Jill Tomczyk, Executive Director of Strategic Programs at UC Davis Health. 

Sustainability is also at the heart of the California Tower, with the project on track for LEED Gold certification. The building’s design includes energy-efficient systems, indoor environmental quality enhancements, water use reduction, and rainwater management strategies, all contributing to a greener, more sustainable healthcare environment. 

The California Tower’s architectural design complements the existing UC Davis Medical Center campus while setting a new vision for healthcare facilities. The 230-foot tower will be a prominent feature of the local skyline, with unitized curtain wall panels mixed with metal fins, and structural glass planes enhancing both aesthetic appeal and functional efficiency. This design ensures patient privacy and supports reduced energy consumption, creating a welcoming and sustainable environment. 

“The California Tower synthesizes innovative medical planning, state-of-the-art building technologies and thoughtful patient and staff-centered design to meet the healthcare needs of the future,” said Chee Keong Lin, Vice President and Health Studio Leader at SmithGroup. “This transformative healthcare facility will provide a destination of healing and a vital resource for Sacramento and its surrounding northern California communities.” 

The project is slated for completion in 2030. 

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.—SmithGroup, one of the nation’s leading integrated design firms, has been selected to design the first children’s rehabilitation hospital in Michigan. The facility will be constructed on the Grand Rapids campus of Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.

Mary Free Bed is a not-for-profit, internationally accredited rehabilitation system serving communities throughout the Midwest. The project is a joint effort between Mary Free Bed and Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. It will be the ninth freestanding children’s rehabilitation hospital in the nation and one of only three located between the east and west coasts.

“We’re looking forward to bringing the best of our integrated practice to creating an iconic breakthrough building for Mary Free Bed,” said Ann Kenyon, a vice president and health studio leader at SmithGroup who will be the project’s principal in charge. “The new pediatric rehabilitation hospital will be a welcoming destination and gathering place that promotes healing and well-being for patients, their families and the greater community.”

SmithGroup was selected after a comprehensive nationwide search for their team’s extensive experience in creating innovative solutions in the health care industry, including specialization in the design of rehabilitation and pediatric facilities. The project’s integrated design team will provide medical planning, architecture, interior design, MEP engineering, lighting design, fire protection/life safety engineering, civil engineering, structural engineering and landscape architecture. SmithGroup’s health practice features a strong portfolio of forward-thinking and renowned rehabilitation and acute care hospitals across the country and includes work for health systems in Michigan.

“I’m eager to see what the combination of our rehabilitation specialists and the SmithGroup design team will create,” said Kent Riddle, president and CEO of Mary Free Bed. “The children’s rehabilitation hospital will be a revolutionary resource enabling us to serve thousands of additional children each year with leading-edge treatment.”

Mary Free Bed (www.maryfreebed.com) is a not-for-profit, internationally accredited rehabilitation hospital. From a single bed in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1891 to a rehabilitation system with 482 beds across more than three dozen Midwest communities, they will restore hope and freedom through rehabilitation for more than 90,000 children and adults this year.

Corewell Health (www.corewellhealth.org) is a not-for-profit health system that provides health care and coverage with an exceptional team of 60,000+ dedicated people.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky.—SmithGroup, a leading integrated design firms, and AECOM, the well-established infrastructure consulting firm, recently celebrated the groundbreaking of the new VA Medical Center in Louisville.

The firms join the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Louisville District to commemorate this milestone. With an area of over 972,000 square feet, the new $840 million medical center will replace the existing Robley Rex VA Medical Center.

The Louisville VA Medical Center will serve a population of more than 150,000 in Kentucky and southern Indiana, emphasizing a comprehensive approach to health by incorporating inpatient and outpatient services for expanded access to primary care, specialty, surgical, and mental health services. The 34-acre campus includes two parking structures, a central utility plant, and other site amenities. The Louisville VA Medical Center is anticipated to be completed in 2026.

“The design of the new medical center represents a journey of healing with honor,” said Cindy Pozolo, SmithGroup’s project manager and a principal at the firm’s Detroit office. “The landscape and the architecture echo the strength and courage of the people who have served our country with distinction.”

The new Louisville VA Medical Center has previously been recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Academy of Architecture for Health (AAH) and the Michigan Chapter of the AIA for its exceptional design. The architecture of the new medical center integrates a focus on sustainability, relationships to nature, and symbolism intrinsic to military life.

The facades of the medical center feature vertical patterning of metal panels and curtainwall, inspired by the colorful regalia of military ribbons, while horizontal striations reference the similar natural layering of limestone found in the surrounding Kentucky hills. The concourse and gardens are divided into four areas representing the milestones of a veteran’s service: join, bond, honor, and thank. The pair of parking structures are screened in copper-colored bowed and wire mesh panels, which frame a perforated screen emblazoned with a patriotic theme.

“It’s an honor to celebrate this groundbreaking on Veterans Day. Our entire design team acknowledges what a privilege it has been to work on this state-of-the-art healthcare facility,” said Randy Kirschner, AECOM’s project manager and a principal in its Columbus office. “We’re immensely proud to support the VA and USACE with integrated architecture and engineering services to help deliver a new medical center that will be of lasting benefit to our veterans for years to come.”

The Louisville VA Medical Center is designed to comply with the Government’s Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings. It will include a large photovoltaic array that generates a portion of the center’s electrical energy, green roofs, water use reduction, and optimized energy performance. The biophilic design intertwines architecture and landscape, emphasizing the importance of nature in health and wellness. Key elements include terraces, ample green spaces, a contemplative courtyard, and a linear garden that sweeps the length of the center, connecting to a light-filled indoor concourse that joins a range of spaces with uses such as education, ceremony, dining, and respite.

With SmithGroup serving as primary design architect and AECOM serving as primary engineer, the joint venture firms collaborated closely to provide project management, architecture, interior architecture, medical planning, landscape architecture, and civil, structural, and MEP engineering during the design phases and will continue to provide services throughout the construction period.

URS/SmithGroup Joint Venture was formed in 2007 to provide integrated design services for the Louisville VA Medical Center project. AECOM acquired URS Corporation in 2014.

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AUGUSTA, Ga.—The Board of Directors at Augusta University Health (AU Health) recently announced it has chosen the team of SmithGroup and TVS as the architects for the Columbia County hospital in Augusta. AU Health is Georgia’s only public academic health center and is the primary teaching affiliate of the Medical College of Georgia.

The integrated team of SmithGroup and TVS will develop an innovative healing environment that exemplifies the patient- and family-centered care provided by Augusta University Health for the new greenfield hospital facility, medical office building and central utility plant. Together the team will provide integrated medical planning, architecture, interior architecture, urban design, landscape architecture and MEP engineering.

“We look forward to developing an innovative design for the Augusta University Health campus that will deliver highly specialized care to Columbia County in an exceptional setting,” said Cindy Beckham, SmithGroup’s principal in charge for the project and studio leader at its Washington, DC office.

SmithGroup previously developed the master plan for the Augusta University medical campus, where the new facility will be located. SmithGroup’s Health Practice encompasses a range of specialty expertise, including strategic facility planning and design for all types of public and private health organizations.

“We are building this hospital for generations. Architect selection is a cornerstone of creating a hospital that will make Columbia County proud,” said AU Health CEO Katrina Keefer. “This is a generational investment in Columbia County and we look forward to the campus being a place of healing for our community.”

The Columbia County hospital is expected to open to the community in 2025. Schematic design for the hospital begins immediately.

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GILBERT, Ariz.—McCarthy Building Companies recently broke ground on the $243 million, 351,000-square-foot Banner Gateway Medical Center Tower and Emergency Department expansion and renovation project, located at 1900 N. Higley Road in Gilbert. The expansion essentially doubles the size of the medical center campus, addressing growing needs for women’s services and cancer care by bringing an additional patient tower, an expanded diagnostics and treatment area, and more parking.

The planned expansion includes adding a second five-story patient tower. The new tower is a 208,500-square-foot addition that will bring 109 new patient beds to the facility initially, and provides the ability to increase the capacity of patient beds by an additional 72 to 358 total beds once the shelled space is built out to serve the rapidly growing East Valley. The project also includes a three-level, 85,000-square-foot expansion to the Diagnostics and Treatment building on the west side of campus, including an expansion to the Emergency Department, as well as a two-level expansion to the existing Diagnostics and Treatment building on the east side of campus.

The expansion addresses the capacity need for women and infant care, including labor, delivery, postpartum and a new neonatal intensive care unit for babies who need extra care. In addition to women’s services, the expansion includes added space for inpatient cancer care by Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, more space for surgical, emergency, endoscopy and imaging services, as well as shelled space for future growth.

In addition, the Banner Gateway Medical Center renovation and expansion will include the construction of two new surface parking lots, adding approximately 690 new parking spaces for visitor and staff use, as well as upgrades to the existing Central Utility Plant. Approximately 40,000 square feet of additional renovation work is also planned within the existing medical center during the final phase of the project.

“We continue to experience rapid and significant growth in families choosing to deliver babies at Banner Gateway, as well as the growth in demand for our expert care of cancer patients,” said Lamont Yoder, CEO of Banner Gateway Medical Center. “This demand presents the need to increase our Women and Infant Services and Oncology departments and other spaces dedicated to supporting these patients while continuing to serve the broad health care needs of our community.”

Construction on the tower expansion began in February 2021 and will complete in first quarter of 2023 on an accelerated schedule with the campus renovation work and parking lot additions completing in 2024. Banner expects to add more than 600 new jobs once the facility is opened.

The project is being managed using the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) structure with the owner, design team, general contractor and trade partners all co-locating in a virtual “big room” allowing for the project’s design and construction strategies to be developed and enhanced through a robust system of collaboration, solution innovations and coordination strategies being brought to the project to ensure operational excellence and end-user efficiency.

“Virtually co-locating our entire project team brings every stakeholder together from very early in the process to collaborate in a solution-oriented environment where benefits to the project go far beyond cost-savings and actually allow us to deliver a better facility to the end-user,” said Kurt Radke, project director for McCarthy Building Companies who is overseeing the Banner Gateway tower expansion project. “All of the new buildings at Banner Gateway tie into existing buildings, so the site will be very active and effective planning will be paramount to minimize disruptions to this operational hospital campus, while adhering to the accelerated schedule.”

Some of the innovative cost- and time-saving measures on the Banner Gateway project include:
Prefabrication of the exterior skin; Project delivery completed in five separate design packages, allowing construction to start prior to design-phase completing;
Construction of all three building expansions occurring simultaneously.

As part of the IPD process, all the major building trade partners were contracted early in design to aid in target value design, constructability and Building Information Modeling (BIM) coordination prior to permit. This has proven to save on costs and ensures that the construction team is able to proceed with system fabrication earlier on in the project.

The architect on the project is SmithGroup with civil engineering led by Dibble Engineering and structural engineering led by PK Associates. Field Verified is serving as an exterior skin consultant. Major trade partners include AmFab Steel, MKB, AROK, Buesing Excavation, Delta Electric, Foothills Fire, KT Fab, Otis Elevators, Stafford Crane, SwissLog, TD Industries and Walters & Wolf.

McCarthy Building Companies completed the initial Banner Gateway Medical Center campus in only 20 months in 2007.

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DETROIT-Integrated design firm SmithGroup has released the results of a nationwide survey conducted by the company aimed at uncovering the trends and challenges facing the design and healthcare industry for the still-young year-and the forthcoming decade. The survey was sent out to over a thousand design professionals to get their feedback on where they see the design-build industry proceeding in the healthcare sector.

Accessibility was one of the key buzzwords the SmithGroup surveyors uncovered in their research, and they report it will play a crucial part in the healthcare market in the years ahead, with hospitals not only offering care but also effectively becoming a locus for the communities they serve.

One survey respondent, architect Johnny Wong of San Francisco, believes that healthcare systems will be updated to offer “holistic well-being in the community,” which he says will likely be accomplished by investing in items beyond the healthcare sphere itself, such as public greenspaces and being more proactive about getting students involved in courses that are stepping stones to a healthcare career. It might be helpful to have a site that guides people to find these courses, like this courses.com.au site in Australia.

This investment must also extend to healthcare workers themselves. SmithGroup’s report cited a statistic from the Mayo Clinic that found over 40 percent of physicians were facing burnout fatigue, and 70 percent of nurses reported something similar. Ergo, it will incumbent upon healthcare design firms to create spaces not only for maximal efficiency of care given by professionals to patients, but also incorporating rest areas so that healthcare workers themselves can recharge during the course of their shifts.

“We’ll see more exercise facilities, healthy meal service, outdoor exercise options and garden spaces,” said Kendra Kettelhut, an interior designer in Los Angeles. Furthermore, having areas for healthcare workers to congregate during work breaks will allow healthcare employers to “attract and retain top talent.” This plan will not only keep healthcare workers healthier but also translate into better expected outcomes for patients they care for.

The value of virtual care has become a hot topic of late, not the least because of the coronavirus outbreak, now officially classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. SmithGroup reported that other 21st century technology that will likely expand in the foreseeable future includes wearable sensors that direct patients when to seek medical attention, schedule medical visits and even offer assistance on a route to take to a clinical setting.

“As the advancements in personal technologies continue to accelerate and become ever-more woven into day-to-day life, expectations for technologically connected and intuitive medical facilities will rise,” health studio leader Cindy Beckham, based in Washington, D.C., said in her response to the survey.

“Design can help drive a future of building healthier communities where equitable access to care helps everyone to thrive,” Chicago architect Karthik Ramadurai added in his own response.

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SAN FRANCISCO — A brand-new flagship hospital for Sutter Health — the California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) — opened its doors to patients in March, serving as a hub for Sutter Health’s inpatient and outpatient services citywide.

The 1,015,000-square-foot hospital encompasses 11 patient floors (plus two-stories of central utility plant located above,) 274-patient beds, 20 labor and delivery rooms, and 418 parking spaces.

The California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) Van Ness Campus hospital ultimately reimagines what an urban medical center can be, with dynamic architecture that knits the civic realm to 21st century health care and provides a beacon for health and wellness in the city.

Located on a full-city block at the major arterial intersection of Van Ness Avenue and Geary Boulevard in downtown San Francisco, the hospital was designed to enhance the urban fabric as a 12-story contemporary glass, metal and stone tower reflective of the high-rise buildings of the city’s nearby Financial District.

According to Kent Hetherwick, principal and project manager for CPMC Van Ness, SmithGroup, the hospital design offers patients, visitors and staff rich daylighting, expansive views across the city from all patient rooms and a roof-top courtyard garden.

Inside the hospital, each floor is themed to a natural element — earth, flora, water, light and air — with sophisticated finishes, colors and the use of super graphics to reinforce the concept of the floor and help orient people in the building. Lighting design throughout the hospital enhances healing and helps to clarify wayfinding in the large facility.

The new hospital was also built in response to California’s 2030 deadline that all hospitals must be capable of remaining operational after an earthquake. 

To achieve this, the new facility uses two novel approaches to strengthen the structure against seismic vibration: 120 viscous wall dampers absorb vibration without the need for superstructure, the first time this technology has been used in a hospital in North America; and the building’s glass curtainwall uses four-sided structural silicone sealant that is higher performing in a seismic event than a traditional clip-in curtainwall system.

The patient bedside is prioritized in the design as the most meaningful space in a patient-centered environment. 

Each room is designed for bedside care delivery, bringing services like X-ray to the patient in order to increase patient safety, comfort and wellness.

A family zone is integrated into each room with dedicated space for them to participate comfortably in the care of their loved one — in some rooms the banquet couch even converts to a cot for family to stay within the room.

Additionally, each floor has multiple family room spaces for visitors to step away to unplug and relax.

On the fifth-floor birthing center, a large family waiting area overlooks an accessible open-air courtyard garden to provide family members a comfortable place to pass the time while they await the arrival of their newest addition.

Both the comfort and efficacy of staff is another key consideration in the design. Planning of the new hospital sought to improve workflow and enhance patient care by eliminating literal and figurative boundaries between hospital departments.

For example, the adult and pediatric emergency departments share an adjacency with the imaging department to ensure quick and accessible treatment.

As for technological advancements, The Real Time Location System that tracks equipment, assets, patients and key staff members to improve patient safety, streamline staff workflow and eliminate “hunting and gathering” activities, and support equipment preventative maintenance and calibration requirements is incorporated into this facility.

“The electronic wayfinding system that allows patients and visitors to navigate through the building using the digital wayfinding and/or an app on their ‘phone, reducing frustration and improving patient satisfaction,” said Phil Crompton, Principal, Vantage Technologies.

The wireless system which has overtaken wired connections as the primary method for accessing information in the building, providing improved access to electronic medical record data for staff and connections to work and home for patients and loved ones.

The CPMC Van Ness Campus hospital is also designed to achieve LEED Silver certification (which is currently pending review by USGBC as of March 2019), and the sustainable measures employed improve the health and wellness of occupants as well as conserving resources. 

The new hospital uses 14 percent less energy than an average hospital of its size.  All patient rooms receive direct natural daylight, so energy use from lighting is reduced. Further, nearly all of the hospital’s lighting is LED dramatically reducing energy use for lighting.

A 100 percent filtered outside air system enhances the interior air quality while being a lower-energy ventilation system for the hospital. The hospital’s five green roofs total 25,000 sf and are planted with native vegetation that filters rainwater for irrigation, saving 180,000 gallons of drinkable water annually. Low-flow plumbing fixtures are used throughout the hospital to reduce day-to-day water usage.

Abatement and demolition of the former building on the site began in approximately July 2013. An emergency structural shoring contractor came in to ensure the building was fully safe and supported. Shoring and excavation were fully completed approximately November 2014, and construction for the building began in December 2014.  The hospital admitted its first patients on March 2, 2019.

Sutter Health leveraged an integrated project delivery (IPD) for the CPMC Van Ness Campus hospital, with three contract signatories on the Integrated Form of Agreement (IFOA):  the owner, Sutter Health; the architect, SmithGroup; and the general contractor, HerreroBOLDT (a joint venture of Herrero Builders and The Boldt Company).

“There is a sentiment echoed by many project participants that integrated project delivery process was very conducive to this successful project, and I would agree,” said Hetherwick. “This delivery method increases collaboration, bringing together all team members together in a co-located space and under an Integrated Form of Agreement—the client, architect, contractor and risk partners agree pool their profits with the goal of sharing risks and savings.”

Hetherwick continued explaining how this fosters a one-for-all-team attitude to be as efficient as possible and deliver the project with the best value back to the owner.  Everyone is invested in the process and the project’s success, leading to greater collaboration and feedback during design and construction that minimizes unknowns and conflicts and eliminates value engineering after design completion.

“The result is that this project ended with a contingency balance of approximately $20 million to be shared between IFOA members, came in under its original project budget, and was delivered on time,” concluded Hetherwick.

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CHANDLER, Ariz. — Phoenix-based Banner Health, the state’s largest private employer and health system, recently began construction on their new 245,000-square-foot, $155 million hospital to serve Maricopa County as a comprehensive medical care center.

The new four-story hospital, given the name the Banner Ocotillo Medical Center, is situated on an18-acre site in the South East Valley, one of the fastest growing areas in Maricopa County.

Designed by architectural firm, SmithGroup, and working alongside general contractor, Tempe-based Okland Construction – the new medical center will welcome patients to approximately 120 beds, while providing imaging, surgery, labor and delivery, intensive care and an emergency room with space suitable for expansion.

SmithGroup Vice President – Health Studio Leader, Craig Passey, AIA, ACHA, explained that 66 percent of patients currently travel ten miles or more to receive healthcare while 22 percent of inpatients and 10 percent of emergency department patients are estimated as currently leaving the South East Valley to receive medical care.

Through this project, Banner Health seeks to deliver care where it’s needed, serving over 80,000 member in the Banner Health network that live within the South East Valley.

The emergency department entry is the first thing you see upon arrival, followed by the signature banner block entry tower that guides non-emergency patients to the facility’s front door.

The use of building massing and site strategies that lead to intuitive wayfinding to ease patient anxiety and stress upon arrival, and also utilizes daylight as well as a connection to nature to help guide internal circulation/wayfinding. The hospital design also enhances the patient/family waiting experience by providing family space inside patient units and at the bed side. 

Reduced ‘waiting rooms’ to sub-waiting integrated into circulation outside of units, and provided private areas for families and physicians to consult immediately outside of sub-wait/patient units.

Narrowing corridors where bed traffic doesn’t occur assists in reducing circulation and travel distances, eliminating race track circulation around surgical departments, and creating cross corridor circulation that serves dual purposes.

Additionally, the design team has prefabricated and panelized the exterior envelope to create a safer work environment and shorten the construction schedule to bring services to the community sooner.

As with other facilities in the Banner Health System, Banner Ocotillo will utilize integrated patient record systems that will promote improved access to patient information by clinicians and staff and reduce patient errors.

Light fixtures equipped with surface disinfection technology and active air disinfection technology to kill HAI’s (‘Hospital Acquired Infections’) are also being installed at the new facility.

Construction commenced in November 2018and is forecasted for completion in August 2020.

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He is based in SmithGroup’s Dallas, Texas office.

Barger leads the practice in a time when the healthcare market is experiencing rapidly changing care models. The practice seeks to redefine the healthcare experience to respond to these changes through initiatives like their IdeaLab series. IdeaLab examines potential disruptors in healthcare, like artificial intelligence or increasing global urbanization, and uses design and speculative thinking to address these future challenges so that clients are ready to meet them.

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