MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Turner Construction Company recently announced that work on a $48 million, 95,623-square-foot vertical expansion of Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital in Murfreesboro has commenced.

The plan is to build three floors vertically onto the existing structure, which will be able to house 72 medical-surgical patient rooms along with one floor for possible buildout in the future. Additionally, a two-story horizontal expansion will add on four operation rooms, central sterile space and materials management.

In 2010, Turner Construction completed work on the original 286-bed Saint Thomas Rutherford hospital while putting provisions in place at the time to mitigate any utility interruptions during the future expansion.

The team executed the original project under integrated project delivery (IPD), aiding them in completing the project two months ahead of schedule and also saving $4 million.

Largely, these projects are part of a greater expansion plan to meet the long-term needs of the growing Rutherford County population.

Currently, Turner Construction has been collaborating with Nashville-based Gresham Smith, the handler of the architectural and engineering work, to allow the hospital to remain operational during construction of the new expansion.

To ensure this, Turner worked closely with Gresham Smith to take every possible measure during construction to reduce the impact it has on the hospital’s existing space. Moreover, Turner scheduled the project in order for work within the existing medical-surgical wings below the expansion will take place during a low volume periods for the hospital.

To achieve minimizing noise and disruption, electric cranes are being used for the project, and all construction personnel will access the work area from a bulk hoist along with not being permitted to enter through the hospital.

“The safety and comfort of our patients is our primary concern, so we were pleased by the extensive amount of planning on Turner’s part to ensure that this project will allow Saint Thomas Rutherford to continue providing unimpeded service to patients throughout,” said Gordon Ferguson, president and CEO of Saint Thomas Rutherford. “We look forward to our increased capacity to provide medical care to our community once this expansion is complete.”

The 52,000-square-foot, three-floor addition to the west patient tower will increase their capacity to 358-beds, improving patient flow and providing additional space for all patient services.

Process efficiency will be reflected in the layouts by utilizing flexible nurse stations, which will create an adaptable space for clinical needs and staff collaboration while promoting safety.

Large windows will flood the space with natural light, creating a healing environment that influence positive patient outcomes.

Turner Construction is also currently working on similar vertical expansion and overbuild work at three actively operating hospitals in Tennessee: Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville and Methodist University Hospital and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis.

“We’re excited about the opportunity to continue working with Saint Thomas Health, a leader in our community that has been a great partner to us over the years,” said Paul Lawson, project executive for Turner Nashville. “It’s an honor to continue to be a part of this organization’s mission to provide high-quality health care to its community.”

Substantial completion is slated for April 2020 for the expansion of Saint Thomas Rutherford’s tower and operating room unit, along with the new space expected to open in summer 2020. 

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NEW YORK – Patient- and family-centered care is embedded into the design of the new 740,000-square-foot NewYork-Presbyterian David H. Koch Center, an ambulatory care center that combines innovative clinical approaches and cutting-edge technology to provide exceptional care and a seamless patient experience.

The architectural design of the new David H. Koch Center is the result of collaboration among HOK as architect, Ballinger as medical architect, and Pei Cobb Freed & Partners as consulting architect for building envelope and lobby; with the team beginning excavation in August 2014 and wrapping up the project April 2018.

NewYork-Presbyterian and physicians from Weill Cornell Medicine were also actively involved throughout the planning process.

The $1 billion center provides interdisciplinary treatment for outpatient surgery, endoscopy, interventional radiology, diagnostic imaging, radiation oncology, infusion, and digestive disease treatments.

Additional clinic features include 12 operating suites, six interventional radiology procedure rooms and 11 endoscopic procedure rooms.

As the center focuses on the human experience, the program provides a comprehensive set of services for patients in a contemporary and soothing environment.

The high performance building facade includes 225,000-square-feet of a triple-glazed insulated curtain wall with an integrated internal obeche wood screen and a silk-screened frit on inside of the outer layer creates an undulating pattern. The curtain wall not only contributes to the performance of the building – but also creates a warm and inviting face to the community, and a distinctive and rich architectural character.

According to Erin Nunes Cooper, associate principal, Ballinger, critical building systems and infrastructure that are essential to maintaining building operations during an emergency are located above grade to protect and isolate them from the impacts of storms, floods and other hazards.

A green roof covers 30 percent of the roof’s surface, which helps cool the building and reduce the heat island effect. It is also capable of retaining up to 6 inches of storm water for slower release back into the sewers and helping to alleviate pressures on the city’s storm sewer system.

The infusion and radiation oncology program, located on the 4^th floor of the building, offers three radiation therapy rooms including two linear accelerator rooms and New York’s first MRI-guided linear accelerator room are used for precision radiation treatment of tumors. These spaces are protected with lead and concrete, and are typically located in basement areas. By locating the treatment rooms on the 4^th floor of the building, patients and staff are elevated and have access to natural light.

All of the prep/recovery positions are private rooms, serving as designated spaces for the patient and their family for the duration of their stay.

The rooms are fully enclosed with sliding glass doors, instead of the more traditional three walls and a curtain. Patients change, prep, recover and check out in their assigned room. The room provides a secure storage space for the patie­­nt’s belongings as well as a private waiting space for the patient’s family members during the procedure. Patients even prep and recover with the same nurse and care team.

Furthermore, three prep/recovery rooms are dedicated to each procedure room, which allows for greater consistency and continuity of the care team for each patient. Dedicated rooms also make it easier for caregivers and clinicians to find family members for face-to-face updates and instructions on follow-up care. These patient rooms were designed to maximize access to natural light, which has been shown to benefit patient outcomes.

Decentralized stations are located outside pairs of prep/recovery rooms, one of the first applications in the country in an ambulatory procedure environment. The care teams committed to eliminating the central nurse station entirely. Instead, a single Central Command Center is located at the juncture of the procedure platform, which monitors all activities between the procedure platform and prep/recovery zone. The result is that all caregivers are able to spend more time either in the patient rooms or at the decentralized stations in close proximity to the patients.

Circulation is clear, with a separation of “on-stage” and “off-stage” flows so patients and families can travel along the light-filled perimeter corridors with clear wayfinding, and staff can move efficiently through the building, minimizing disruption to guests.

A fully integrated art program throughout the building hosts a diversity of works at key locations as positive distractions for patients undergoing medical treatment. A warm material palette that carries the wood features indoors creates a soothing environment that facilitates anxiety reduction.

The team also conceived of a procedure experience without waiting and choreographed a patient experience that uses technology to streamline the process. Patients are pre-registered and are greeted by patient ambassadors upon arrival. Kiosk check-in is available in the lobby, and all patients and their families or companions receive a wrist band at check in and are directed to the appropriate floor.

Care team members are notified when the patient arrives in the building, allowing them to greet the patient on the floor and escort them directly to their dedicated procedure room. Electronic notifications are used to communicate with family members during or after the procedure so that they can comfortable comfortably leave the floor knowing that they can return during the patient’s recovery.

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With the help of Dallas-based HKS Inc. as the lead architectural firm, as well as Self-Tucker Architects and Archimania, both of Memphis, the construction of the eight-story tower began in November 2016, and is currently being erected on top of the standing emergency department that Turner construction built in 2014. The notable design features reflect the goal of the medical facility earning its LEED Gold certification as well as attracting top-ranking medical professionals from all over the globe.

According to Kyle Reeves, Turner project executive for the tower, the team selected a unitized curtain wall glass system that will be pre-assembled off site and erected quicker than a stick built system in order to meet the insistent schedule. The curtain wall includes a dynamic glass system, which changes shade in response to sunlight to help with energy efficiency. The construction also includes two green roof areas, which create a calmer healing environment to improve patient outcomes.

“The use of glass, cast stone and metal panels provides a new identity for the campus entrance while also providing a destination that will attract the world’s top medical professionals,” said Reeves. “The use of dynamic glass throughout the entire project adds a level a comfort for patients and family. A new concourse on level three will be the main pedestrian spine that connects the existing hospital to the new expansion. The main public elevator lobby will have glass walls on two sides with enhanced lighting. Its glass walls rise above the roof level, forming a symbolic beacon that reinforces the faith-based focus of Methodist University Hospital.”

The new tower is expected to elevate patient care for Memphis and the Mid-South. The tower will allow for the consolidation of the hospital’s transplant services into a two-floor inpatient/outpatient comprehensive transplant institute. It will also connect the oncology and outpatient care to create a new cancer center. The expansion allows for a 36 percent increase in ICU capacity and a 20 percent increase in the hospital’s operating room capacity.

“The new facility will be one of the most advanced patient- and family-centered state-of-the-art tertiary care facilities in the Mid-South region,” said Reeves. “This represents a major investment to healthcare in the Midtown Memphis community and innovative spaces that will elevate the care provided to the Mid-South region for generations to come. This new facility will become one of the most advanced patient- and family-centered, state-of-the-art tertiary care facilities in the Mid-South region. This master plan campus improvement will also push MUH further towards its goal of being one of the top academic hospitals in the country.”

The construction of this tower also implements an “integrated project delivery” system (IPD).

“Renovating a space while it remains fully operational can pose a number of challenges. The most frequently cited challenge is that construction often takes longer than it would if the space did not need to remain fully functioning during construction. However, thanks to new collaborative delivery methods like Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), we’re able to mitigate this problem,” said  Reeves.

According to Reeves, IPD focuses on delivering value, eliminating waste and continuously improving. It encourages collaboration, shared risk and accountability between the owner, builder and architect. The IPD team, bound under one contract, often includes the owner, builder and architect, but can also include engineers, large subcontractors and suppliers.

The team establishes a target budget early in the project and outlines clear goals to ensure the project aligns well with the owner’s objectives. With all major parties involved from day one, the system fosters effective communication and decision-making. The architect, builder and sometimes engineer are contractually obligated to work together for the benefit of the project. This level of buy-in means the entire team is focused on adding value to help build a better quality, lower risk and faster project.

The IPD team spends a significant amount of time planning on the front end, so the design and building phases essentially morph into one continuous phase. And because construction can begin before design is completed, we are able to radically improve schedule performance, eliminate costly change orders and therefore reduce the chance of any schedule slips or delays. The collaborative nature of IPD allows us to identify and fix any potential problem areas before they affect the flow of work.

Because of IDP, the market will no longer tolerate mediocrity when it comes to project performance — including cost and schedule overruns, inefficient staffing models and workflow patterns, and facilities that are difficult and expensive to maintain and operate. The Integrated Project Delivery approach ensures that the team maximizes efficiency through all phases, from schematic design through to completion. Ultimately, it guarantees that the builder and designer are focused on adding value, building the project with higher quality, lower risk and at a faster speed.

The facility also includes new technology and electronic systems with linear accelerators, the latest models of MRIs and other state-of-the-art imaging and radiology equipment. This also includes modernized pharmacy, laboratories, dialysis and interventional radiology areas.

According to a statement, Michael Ugwueke, president and CEO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare expressed, “We are committed to the Midtown Medical District, and we are energized by our quest to put patients first in everything we do — from patient access, to patient experience to patient care, MLH is committed to providing high quality care to every patient who enters our doors.”

Project completion is expected for spring of 2019.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. —  On Oct. 17, a dedication ceremony was hosted by the Kaleida Healthcare System for the brand-new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC). The ceremony included speeches as well as tours of the new facility.

The John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital is a replacement of the existing Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. The new facility has 174 beds, seven operating rooms, three C-Section rooms, 30 emergency department beds, 10 observation and 18 radiology rooms. The facility is  connected to the Buffalo General Medical Center via a two story bridge.

Boston-based Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott was selected as architect for the 85,000-square-foot facility. The local office of Turner Construction served as the general contractor for the project. The project was a physician-led effort (with 48 OB/GYN and adult physicians representing a broad section of the community) that was made up of the Physician Strategic Planning Committee (PSPC).

The new hospital contains a “womb-like” NICU that is calm, private and allows mothers and infants to be together 24 hours a day during their stay. All patient rooms are on the outer perimeter of the building in an effort to provide all patients with windows that tout views of the outdoors. All patient rooms are spacious, with a big-screen television and a full private bathroom as well as an in-room seating area that turns into a bed and has its own television for family visits.

The design team’s goal was to also make the new hospital comfortable for children. Every pediatric floor has a playroom with twinkling lights and toys for children and their families to enjoy. Additionally, there is a two-story winter garden — a green space where children and families can retreat to during their hospital stay, regardless of weather conditions — and where children are allowed to grow their own plants in the winter garden.

While there is still work to be done at the new Oishei Children’s Hospital, it will be ready in one month to receive new patients. In addition to any new patients, patients from the old Bryant Street hospital will be transported over to the new hospital once it’s ready.

The post Construction on John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital Almost Complete appeared first on HCO News.

“We are excited to be able to begin this next phase as it means that we are getting that much closer to this project becoming a reality,” said Scott H. Perra, president/CEO of MVHS in a statement. “Both companies have extensive local and international experience, with projects in New York and around the United States as well as in many cities abroad. The companies are committed to working with our local businesses whenever possible to complete the project.”
NBBJ and Turner have extensive experience working together and have completed more than $2.6 billion in projects, many which have focused on health care.

Planning for the hospital, which will be located in downtown Utica, began back in 2014. The new hospital was originally set to be an 830,000-square-foot facility at a cost of $573 million. However, the new cost projection is $480 million for a 750,000-square-foot facility.

“Planning a project of this magnitude occurs in several stages over the course of years,” said Perra, in a statement. “In late 2014, we developed estimates based upon preliminary design concepts. We continue to perform studies and evaluations to further refine the project as we advance through the phases of the development process.”
In addition, the original concept included 430 inpatient beds, while now the revised plan calls for 400 beds.

The project will also include a 24-bed in-patient “shell” that could be finished and used at a later time, if needed, according to an article by local news outlet WBIX. That decision alone saves more than 15,000 square feet of new construction and adds to the overall savings, according to WBIX.

MVHS will be involving the community throughout the design and construction process since it will impact those in surrounding areas. A completion date has not yet been set but project team members and MVHS will update the public as plans progress.

For more information about on project, visit MVHS’ website.

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