The OPC2 building will be a six-story, 89,000-square-foot outpatient center that will adjoin the existing outpatient center with clinics for cardiology, rehabilitation, neurology and other subspecialties. Turner Construction is serving as the general contractor on the new outpatient center, while HDR Inc. and Taylor Design are working together on the project design. All three have local offices in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Design features for the new facility include colorful glass panels that combine with playful detailing to establish the western gateway for the hospital campus, according to Doug Nelson, executive director of facilities development and construction for the hospital. Warm, natural materials and the use of daylighting create a healing, rejuvenating environment. For instance, aluminum canopies along the southern face of the building shade the glass, while bouncing light into the building’s core.

The facility’s tilted glass wall also engages with subway passengers passing the facility, while colored boxes along the exterior surface create cozy windowsills with views of the street activities below. An outdoor therapy patio provides patients with a direct connection to the outdoors.

Art also played a key role in the design, Nelson said. The flowing lines in the flooring mimic a colorful, local mural called Temescal Flows. A wide pedestrian entry concourse features community-based art that welcomes all outpatient visitors while also linking outpatient care lobbies to the existing structured parking and to the main hospital campus to the south.

Designed as a LEED for Healthcare Silver facility, this is the first building block in the hospital’s campus transition plan. The facility will use 38.4 percent less energy than the average building of its kind and will reduce water usage by 35 percent. The project team also selected low-emitting building materials for optimal indoor air quality and sustainability.

Nelson said that the project team faced some initial challenges with relocating the existing building at 52nd street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. “Focusing on the community and trying to meet the construction demands while mitigating any impacts to the surrounding neighborhoods continues to present some challenges,” he said.

Schedule and cost also continues to be a discussion of potential risk, according to Nelson, and components of the structure such as the exterior wall systems with the unique glass mosaic of many colors and accents will require special attention.

The entire $500 million Master Plan project also includes a rebuilding of the main hospital that will increase the number of patient beds to 210 on site; create individual patient rooms; and add new surgical, diagnostic and treatment rooms as well as support services and clinics. A large part of creating the Master Plan came through public outreach that engaged stakeholders within the community, neighborhood and the hospital, to create a unified vision for the campus. This vision has helped create consensus and support, and celebrates the greatness of all children. The vision for the Master Plan is “An Amazing Journey,” and it has inspired the design team as well as the community to push further and create something that will better serve the needs of patients, families and our community.

“We are thrilled to begin the next chapter in UCSF Benioff Oakland’s amazing journey,” said Bertram Lubin, MD, president and chief executive officer of UCSF Benioff Oakland, in a statement. “For over 100 years, the hospital has strived to provide the best medical care for our patients, and our Master Plan project will enhance the hospital’s ability to focus on family-centered care with new, modern, and seismically compliant buildings and technology.”

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently awarded a $571 million construction contract to the joint venture of Omaha, Neb.-headquartered Kiewit Building Group and Turner Construction Company of New York (Kiewit-Turner). The construction consortium is not new to the project, having initially been named the general contractor in 2010. However, after the VA was found to be in breach of contract in 2014 — the same year the project was originally intended for completion — all work was halted briefly, continuing under a bridge contract just days later.

Currently, the project is an estimated $1 billion over budget (with a total budget of roughly $1.67 billion), forcing Congress to turn over responsibility for the project to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. The overruns have primarily been attributed to a low initial estimate, poor planning and repeated delays. Several temporary funding measures as well as last minute legislation have kept the project active and afloat under a new contract awarded by the Corps of Engineers. The project is now slated for completion in early 2018.

Following the Senate vote in late September that ensured the project would remain funded, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) added, “The Senate has taken the final steps to fulfill the promise of this medical facility. The VA’s mismanagement of this project from the outset was horrendous and unacceptable. The Colorado delegation will continue its efforts to hold the VA accountable and ensure the mistakes made in Denver never happen again. The House must now act to ensure the hospital will be completed for our veterans, while offering certainty to the workers on the jobsite and protecting taxpayers.”

In a statement reacting to the newly awarded contract, Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) added that the roughly 400,000 veterans throughout the state and region have waited too long for the health care facility they were promised. “They have endured delay after delay and been dispirited by the VA’s mismanagement and cost overruns,” Gardener said. “The final spending authorization that Congress passed in September coupled with the VA’s and the Corps’ signed contract paves the way to finish the state-of-the-art facility veterans deserve.”
 

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The new building, attached to the main hospital, allows Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center to expand and centralize three medical specialties — cancer care, digestive health and outpatient surgery — in a single, integrated facility. The goal of the new center is to improve access to care, continuity among disciplines, enhanced operational efficiencies and a better overall experience for patients and their families. More than 20,000 patients are expected to be cared for in the building annually.

The Angelo P. Creticos Cancer Center, formerly situated in a building located at the southwest corner of Wellington and Mildred in Chicago, has been relocated to the north end of the Center for Advanced Care. The cancer center now has two new linear accelerators for targeted cancer treatment, 16 infusion bays and an educational resource area

The building provides seven times the medical center’s previous space dedicated for digestive health. Located on the south end, the Digestive Health Clinic features five new procedure rooms.

The Center for Advanced Care’s expanded outpatient surgery facilities, housed on the third floor over 38,000 square feet, have added six operating rooms and 18 prep and recovery rooms. Other amenities at the facility include a health resource library, conference facilities and a café.

The addition creates an integrated platform where patients and physicians can more easily access care resources, including a multi-disciplinary condominium clinic with flexible, universal exam and consult spaces.

“One of the goals of the project was to demystify the patient experience by creating a physical space that is warm, open and inviting,” said Tim Tracey, principal-in-charge at SmithGroupJJR’s Chicago office, in a statement. “The design of the new center represents the quality of care that patients receive at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.”

Signature design elements for the Center for Advanced Care include a sweeping, curved glass façade on the south side with an integral passive sunshade system. Public corridors are outfitted with open seating and waiting areas, creating a way-finding system that connects the new building with the main hospital. At street level, a three-story glass atrium lobby and reception area help to set off the facility’s main entrance.

Sustainable design features include a living wall that will bloom year-round as part of a community garden, located in a 21,000-square-foot park that runs along the back of the building. The park provides pathways and outdoor benches for patients and visitors. Also sustainably designed is the building’s roof. The facility is targeting LEED-NC Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

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The hospital will offer health care services, including primary care, emergency care, laboratory services, imaging services, and inpatient and outpatient surgery. Patients will also have access to a specialty clinic in addition to their primary care physician. The new facility, a member of Saint Luke’s Health System based in Kansas City, Mo., will have close to 70,000 square feet of space. The new hospital is a replacement for the former Anderson County Hospital, built in 1949.

New York City-based Turner Construction is overseeing construction completion for the new facility, and Hoefer Wysocki Architecture of Leawood, Kan., provided design and architectural services.

The new facility is touting several contemporary features and services, including an updated emergency department, sophisticated health care technology, and an outpatient specialty clinic staffed by experienced doctors and nurses. The hospital is also establishing a long-term care unit — The Anderson County Hospital Residential Living Center (RLC). The unit will provide nursing care services in a home-like environment with a garden area, family room, activity center and dining room. The RLC will care for long-term residents or transitional residents who have suffered a recent injury, illness or need a post-hospital stay to ensure full recovery.

The hospital’s new emergency department will provide equipment and care that meet the national standards for Level IV trauma status. The department will have an advanced airflow system to ensure a sterile environment, as well as a decontamination room for immediate isolation of patients who have been exposed to hazardous materials or biological agents.

“Anderson County Hospital is able to treat more patients at our facility with the Level IV trauma center because our team has the specialized training for trauma patients and we have a comprehensive scope of services available on-site,” said Timothy Spears, the hospital’s medical director, in a statement. “We work closely with the specialty physicians who see patients at our facility and the patient’s primary care physician to ensure they recover right here in the community. Our goal is always to treat patients in our facility, however; we have on-site ambulance service and a helipad located just outside the emergency department to provide patients with immediate access to a higher level of care when needed.”

The hospital will also be using an advanced, interconnected technology system throughout. Whiteboard technology will allow registration staff to electronically notify departments when their patients arrive and will track how long they’ve been waiting. Other technological elements include a new centralized telemetry system for patients requiring heart monitoring. The system monitors heart rate and rhythm, collecting real-time data for nurses to keep the physician informed of the patient’s progress. Inside the new RLC will be a quieter environment with the installation of a new wireless call light system. The radiology department will have a new CT scanner to provide faster scanning, and computed tomography angiography (CTA) technology will allow images of arteries and vessels to be captured for an angiography with 3D reconstruction.

Just inside the hospital entrance will be a specialty clinic, featuring 17 areas of health care, 12 exam rooms and two procedure rooms. Telecommunication within that clinic will allow for out-of-town physicians to provide face-to-face care without being on site.

“We want to be sure the community knows that these specialists will be available each month at the Anderson County Hospital Specialty Clinic,” said Dr. Meggan Newland, a Saint Luke’s dermatologist, in a statement. “Bringing Saint Luke’s world-class level of care here to Garnett on a regular basis is an invaluable benefit to our patients and to those in need of specialty care.”

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Designers set out to create a health care facility that combined beauty, culture and function.

“Mercy Health West Hospital was designed with many features that have been proven to enhance the patient’s experience during a hospital visit. Studies show that even brief exposure to nature and natural light improves patients’ moods and shortens lengths of stay,” said Yousuf Ahmad, president & CEO of Mercy Health, in a statement. “This building is an important reflection of our commitment to bring world-class care to the communities on Cincinnati’s west side.”

The design places special emphasis on connections to nature and daylight. Located on a 60-acre site, the hospital is surrounded by wooded landscape that will provide beautiful outdoor views and promote healing. An interventional platform between the two bed towers displays approximately 64,000 native plants to offer additional views. At 2.5 acres, the green roof is the largest in the state of Ohio.

The all-private room hospital has a one-of-a-kind exterior wall system with 11 different colors and 19 shapes of locally manufactures glazed brick tiles. A striking blue-to-green palette was inspired by the colors of the region’s valleys and hills.

Mercy Health West Hospital was constructed by Turner Construction Co., which also holds offices in Cincinnati.

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