PALO ALTO, Calif. – The main building at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Stanford is now open. The impressive hospital has been a work in progress for over ten years, making its completion a cause for true celebration for all of those involved in the extensive project, as well as those who will benefit from its services.

The building was designed by Perkins+Will out of its New York office, in conjunction with Hammel, Green and Abrahamson Architects, Inc. (HGA), headquartered out of Minneapolis, Minn. DPR Construction served as the general contractor on the project, headquartered out of Redwood City, Calif.

The main building of the new hospital was officially opened on Dec. 9, 2017, after the hospital was given its licence by the California Department of Public Health on Dec. 4, just five days before. An official ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on November 30 which included approximately 300 leaders from the hospital and Stanford University, as well as elected officials, community partners and members of the donor community.

“Hundreds of staff prepared for months and months for this day, when this new building became part of our working hospital,” said Christopher G. Dawes, president and chief executive officer at Lucile Packard Hospital and Stanford Children’s Health in a recent statement.

The new 521,000-square-foot building increases the original pediatric and obstetric hospital size by more than double. Expansion of the new building meant the addition of 149 patient beds, bringing the total bed count to 361 on the Palo Alto campus.

While the main building of the new hospital is open for business, more construction remains to be accomplished on the West building over the next few years. Construction will include a new surgery center with six new operating suites, as well as intraoperative MRI technology and angiography equipment in the neuro-hybrid surgery suite that will be constructed.

Amongst many other exciting features, the new main building at Lucile Packard is the anticipation of LEED Gold certification, which, when achieved, will make the new hospital one of the most sustainable children’s hospitals in the country, according to Robin Guenther, principal at Perkins + Will in a recent statement.  

The new building features sustainable features such as water-efficient landscaping and water collection systems. These features are projected to save 800,000 gallons of water annually. In addition, ventilation and shading systems have been installed that will mean reducing thermal energy usage by 60 percent, as compared to other similar hospitals in the area.

The post Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Now Open appeared first on HCO News.

It was previously reported that the project was slated for completion in summer 2017, however, the timeframe for completion has since been delayed by a few months. The $1.2 billion expansion will add 521,000 square feet, 3.5 acres of garden space, 149 patient beds and six operating suites, nearly doubling the size of the existing campus. Perkins+Will of Chicago and Hammel, Green and Abrahamson Architects of Minneapolis are leading the charge for the design of the expansion. DPR Construction’s Redwood City, Calif. office is serving as the general contractor.

“In our 25 years, we’ve become leaders in providing the best care for children and pregnant women. Keeping pace with the growing needs of our patients was the catalyst for this transformation,” said Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital CEO Christopher G. Dawes in an interview published in the Fall 2016 Stanford Medicine Newsletter.

This expansion will add incredible technological advances to the facility, including six new surgical suites, a nuclear medicine department, three new imaging units and four diagnostic units, including a cardiac “hybrid” angiography suite, according to a statement issued by the hospital.

Another major goal for the project is to make Lucile Packard more family friendly. Features of this plan include the construction of private patient rooms with space for families to be together during treatment and recovery, and amenities such as interactive sculptures to entertain and educate children and families. By making the hospital more family friendly, the expansion is intended to help improve the lives of patients and their families by easing the stress of a hospital stay. More than 800 physicians, nurses and parents have also supported this expansion, according to a hospital statement.

“From the beginning, the vision for expansion was not only founded in a mission to lead the way in children’s health but to nurture the whole family,” said Anne McCune, chief operating officer at Lucile Packard Hospital in the Fall 2016 Stanford Medicine newsletter. “Many of our patients require acute and chronic care, and the hospital becomes a second home for the entire family.”

Improving care at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, however, means more than just technological advances and new family-friendly attributes. Environmental sustainability is another major focus of this project. A wind turbine was installed to power the hospital, electric vehicle charging stations are now offered in the parking lot, and more than 3.5 acres of healing gardens and green space have been integrated into the project.

Additionally, rainwater harvest systems are being constructed to meet all of the irrigation needs for the property’s landscaping. The installation and use of this catchwater system will save more than 684,000 gallons of water each year, according to Robin Guenther, principal at Perkins+Will and lead designer of the hospital expansion. The hospital also installed water-efficient bathroom fixtures that will reduce water usage by 30 percent, according to a statement.

The post Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Expansion to Open This Fall appeared first on HCO News.