PENSACOLA, Fla. — Hospital care workers in Northwest Florida are finally going to be moving into larger spaces to meet the health care needs of the Panhandle’s population when an expanded facility for children’s medical care opens at Sacred Heart Hospital this month.  The expansion to the Pensacola hospital encompasses 175,000 square foot of space in a four-story structure — some 13,000 square feet of which was renovated space.

The expanded $85 million facility will warehouse a 72-bed newborn intensive care unit (NICU), pharmacy, rehabilitation gym, pharmacy and family-oriented dining commons.

Hoar Construction, with Florida offices located in Orlando, provided construction management for the expansion to the children’s hospital, which will now be better able to address the needs of a great number of women and children in the greater Panhandle community.  The newly enlarged facility will encompass 120 beds as well as a trauma center and NICU.  The expansion will also provide better services for patients undergoing high-risk pregnancies.  

According to Hoar, the company designed a “rack system” wherein the construction was completed in segments.  This meant that prefabricated racks could be inspected from a standing position rather than from a ladder, which lessened the hazards of workers being high up off the ground and also reduced installation time at the job site.  Furthermore, sections of plumbing and mechanical piping were tested within a controlled environment prior to installation.

Hoar’s previous work in health care construction within the state includes the West Florida Hospital in Pensacola and Bay Medical Center in Panama City.  The company reports that their workers must undergo infectious control training, entailing jobsite care to ensure that the construction area is free of dust and air particles. 

Sacred Heart Hospital is part of the Ascension health care network, the nation’s largest Catholic, nonprofit health system, according to their website.  The Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola is credited as being Ascension’s hub for care in the region. 

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PASADENA, Calif. — CO Architects was recently recognized by local and national organizations for two different major healthcare projects in California and Arizona at the Los Angeles Business Council’s (LABC) 48th Annual Architectural Awards.

One of the recipients of this award was the Shriners for Children Medical Center; a facility that combines a three-story building for surgery, clinical services, rehabilitation and healing landscapes.

Collaboratively designed by CO Architects and SRG Partnership, the facility was a part of an effort to replace and renovate its aging facilities as well as responding to the hospital’s new business model of focusing on outpatient services for young patients.

Now, Shriner’s new 74,800-square-foot center concentrates on outpatient services to better meet its mission of providing care to young patients.

The teams’ goal was to create a design that leverages evidence-based design strategies, the redevelopment of a suburban site, and an outward-facing building design that provides a positive emotional journey for patients and families.

The two-acre site is separated into a modern, medical building on the northern half of the property while rehabilitation gardens and outdoor gathering areas are situated in the southern part. The new medical facility is also half the size of its predecessor, yet can service three times the number of patients.

The design incorporates a garden forecourt and upper-story terraces to draw people outside to connect with nature and their surroundings.

The contemporary architecture of sweeping horizontal planes, cantilevers, and setbacks, along with region-sensitive landscape, is consistent with the modernist legacy of Pasadena.

Looking at the interior, CO Architects and SRG focused on color and shape, while avoiding childish clichés.

The interiors feature playful, colorful themes based on the ocean, forest, and sky with custom-designed murals depicting flora and fauna in colorful silhouettes run along the corridors, fostering a welcoming discovery on the way to waiting areas and treatment rooms, and working as positive distractions for the child patients. The center also touts vibrant furnishings arranged in various ways to accommodate families and visitors.

Furthermore, environmentally sensitive strategies helped form the architecture to improve patient comfort, encourage healing, and save energy and operating costs. Energy-efficient glazing, protective overhangs and highly efficient mechanical systems are designed to offset energy use.

“It was important to maximize natural light, not only for the healing factor, but also to avoid interiors that felt dark and sterile,” said Fabian Kremkus, AIA, LEED GA, design principal at CO Architects. “Rooms are configured so light is passed inward from perimeter spaces, while internal courtyards allow daylight to reach the center of the building.”

Kremkus continued, stating that in addition to the patient check-in, exam rooms, and x-ray areas on the ground floor – the team also integrated a low-dose imaging system and prosthetic limb manufacturing space.

In the main lobby, an interactive feature wall draws kids into the space and changes images with kinetic motion ignited by touch. LED lighting is used in all hallways and exam and x-ray rooms where patients can alter the color of the illumination, which provides a pleasant distraction from the clinical processes taking place.

The second floor features pre-operative and post-anesthesia care units that are both visually and acoustically private to maintain patient dignity. Within these spaces, patients can control room lighting, entertainment, and education systems, as well as nurse assistance needs, giving them greater autonomy and sense of control.

The third-floor medical library features a connection to the operating rooms via an electronic video integration system to view surgeries as they are happening. On the roof, light monitors with automated louvers provide shading when necessary from the bright summer sun to preserve energy. Additionally, large portions of the glazing on the south and east side feature integrated specular louvers to enhance daylighting and mitigate solar heat gain.

Construction on the center began in 2015 and wrapped up in 2017.

The design team also included Rios Clementi Hale Studios as the landscape architect and DPR Construction as the general contractor.

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MURRIETA, Calif. – Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego (RCHSD) celebrated the unveiling of its new outpatient pediatric center on August 11 with a grand opening event open to the public.

Stantec Architecture of Irvine, Calif., and McCarthy Building Companies of San Diego partnered to deliver a three-story, 62,500-square-foot building to offer a total of 15 specialty clinics under one roof. The pediatric services include primary care, subspecialty care, developmental services and specialized programs for children on the autism spectrum.

The building is an extension of the main campus and incorporates some elements into the new facility that resemble the main campus, with features including a clock tower, a palm tree-lined entryway and an arching façade.

The project features other outdoor clinical spaces at the stepped terraces. The main interior staircase within the clock tower is glazed full height for patient and visitor safety and internally lit by colorful light fixtures.

The building was themed as the “Dream Center” and includes artwork and design elements featuring hot-air balloons that frequently mark the Murrieta skyline. The building is expected to achieve LEED Certification though design features such as green interior finishes, water use reduction through plumbing fixtures and landscaping, optimized energy performance, and proximity to public transportation. The facility is also outfitted to accept future telemedicine systems to allow staff and physicians to collaborate with Rady’s Main Campus.

RCHSD also has the specialized play equipment, staff, and room features to perform clinical studies and observation of their autistic children. Included in the program is a licensed Toddler Inclusionary Pre-School, which integrates children on the autism spectrum into a typical classroom and playground setting.

Joanne McAllister, principal-in-charge at Stantec Architecture, AIA, said that when the project was initially discussed between Rady Children’s and the community, they discovered that many of their patients were travelling over an hour to receive the specialty services at the main campus including those in the autism program.

“Since the project was somewhat remote to the larger cities and due to the increase in construction activity in general, it was difficult to meet the subcontractor bid requirements for the project,” said McAllister. “Fortunately, many subs had longstanding relationships with the contractor and hospital and we were able to get the quality and commitment from them.”

McAllister continued, stating that many community members attending the building opening mentioned that having those specialty services available close by created a noticeable convenience for patients and their families.

“I am so grateful and honored to work with an organization focused on the research and innovation that helps children and their families when they are at a time of their greatest need, and now within their own community,” McAllister concluded.

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ATLANTA — Egleston Children’s Hospital, a subsidiary of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, has officially submitted a state application for its proposition of a new pediatric hospital in the Atlanta suburb of Brookhaven.

The plan entails replacing the current facility with a 446-bed pediatric hospital, which would offer a 100-bed increase in response to the rapidly growing population in the region.

The proposed 70-acre campus and $1.5 billion project for the North Druid Hills campus would be the highest-costing hospital construction plan in the history of the Georgia certificate-of-need (CON) program, according to experts.

In Georgia, it is required that the Georgia Department of Community Health approve any organization seeking to expand its physical medical services. The state CON process has the possibility of being drawn-out if a hospital project is opposed, with such objections typically coming from potentially competing facilities. In this case, no opposition has appeared at this time and Children’s expects to be delivered a decision from the department before the end of the year.

The planned facility would include two patient bed towers, which will hold the AFLAC Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, neonatal intensive care units, pediatric intensive care units and cardiac intensive care units. The hospital will introduce larger rooms with sleeping areas and big windows with “healing views” to achieve natural light. The project will also make room for 20 acres of the campus to hold greenspace with miles of walking trails as well as paths on and around the site.

In total, the project’s expenses will include the cost of the hospital as well as the jointed clinic and office building and central utility plant. Children’s also said it will invest more than $40 million in traffic and infrastructure improvements. Officials of Children’s expressed that this investment is a reflection of their focus to continue to meet the needs of children in Georgia as well as creating the best possible experience for patients and their families.

Construction for the new hospital will begin in 2020 and is slated for completion in 2025.

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ATLANTA — Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is on a mission to completely transform the way pediatric healthcare will be delivered to future generations.

This month, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta announced the team of architects and consulting partners for new campus and hospital at North Druid Hills and Interstate 85 (I-85), which will replace the organization’s current location at Egleston hospital with a new campus and hospital at North Druid Hills and I-85. Children’s has also engaged industry-leading consultants for its support office building, planned at the northern side of the campus along the I-85 frontage road.

“This team blends the local, national and international expertise necessary to create the facilities our patients need in a highly efficient and effective manner,” said Chris Chelette, Children’s vice president of planning, design, and construction, in a statement. “Our consulting partners have embraced our goal of creating a transformative environment for pediatric healthcare.”

The new $1 billion project of the North Druid Hills Campus will include a 446-bed hospital, a highly developed pediatrics center with support buildings, and an additional 20-plus acre of green space that will create miles of walking trails and paths. The Center of Advanced Pediatrics will open its doors this summer, allowing Children’s to meet the anticipated pediatric population growth while also better serving patient families within a healing, natural landscape. The completion of the project in its entirety is slated for 2026.

“Our goal is simple — to help more children get better faster,” said Donna Hyland, CEO of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, in a statement. “Georgia’s pediatric population is growing and our new campus will allow us to meet our state’s need while improving health outcomes for our patients in a transformative environment for our patient families, physicians, staff and our neighbors.”

The patient beds will be held in two towers, with an accompanying medical office building and adjoined cancer and blood disorders center. This will also include additional structures featuring a central energy plant that will allow for efficient and sustainable energy on site as well as parking decks.

Children’s has selected national firm HKS Inc. as lead architect for both the pediatric center and replacement hospital due to its understanding of holistic healthcare design. “This project is a catalyst and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform the way pediatric healthcare will be delivered for generations to come,” said John Bienko, project lead at HKS.

Brasfield & Gorrie, with local offices, is currently serving as construction manager of the Center for Advanced Pediatrics project in progress. In addition, they will also serve as the construction manager for the replacement hospital. “We are honored to serve as the contractor for the future of pediatric care in Georgia,” said Dan Spinetto, healthcare regional operations manager for Brasfield & Gorrie.

Locally based Hendrick Inc. is the interior architect for the support building, with Kimley-Horn handling environmental and traffic engineering and HGOR, landscape design. DaVinci-Winstead Group is the overall project manager for the support building, the medical office building that adjoins the new hospital, and all campus parking decks. There will also be millions of dollars of roadwork done on and along I-85 to help clear space for the campus. The hospital has committed $40 million to road improvements that will include a road tunneled under I-85.

Kansas City, Mo.-headquartered JE Dunn will also have a key role on the master plan development, serving as the construction manager of the medical office building adjoining the new hospital as well as the central utility plant, parking decks and site improvements for the new campus. The construction of the support building and replacement hospital are being operated as separate projects since existing single-story office buildings for support staff cover a portion of the land that Children’s needs to clear before construction of the replacement hospital can commence.

The support staff will be able to move into its new home on the North Druid Hills campus before construction begins on the replacement hospital. Groundbreaking for the support building is expected this spring, with completion scheduled in the first quarter of 2020. This scheduling ensures that construction of the replacement hospital will be complete by 2025, which allows Children’s to meet growing bed demand for specialized pediatric care in Georgia efficiently. When the replacement hospital is complete, Egleston hospital will no longer serve as an inpatient facility.

Once completed, campus plans will be submitted to the Atlanta Regional Commission. Children’s expects that process to take four to six months. Construction on the campus is expected to begin in 2020.

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