Meteorologists have been predicting that the wettest parts of El Nino season will reach San Francisco and the Bay Area in the beginning of January, according to San Francisco Business Journal, so architects and construction workers have been working to make sure the project reached this weather-tight point before the winter weather arrived.

The project, which broke ground in September 2012, includes constructing a new main building to for the 25-year-old Stanford pediatric hospital and a 521,000-square-foot expansion. Although the exterior of the project, which features reflective enclosed glass panels, should be complete by the end of the year, the interior is not nearly done. Hospital officials expect that the facility will open to patients in the summer of 2017. “We are one step closer to opening the technologically advanced, expanded version of the hospital,” said Christopher Dawes, president and CEO in a statement.

Perkins + Will Architects designed the structure with help from HGA — both of which have offices in San Francisco. The expansion includes an additional 149 beds, for a total of 397 beds, as well as adding private rooms. Hospital officials said that the new space will include family-friendly amenities and will also have a flexible layout, allowing for the space to be used in multiple ways. These additional beds will provide space dozens of patients that are currently being cared for at separate regional hospitals that also serve Lucile Packard patients.

The post Construction on Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Reaches Milestone appeared first on HCO News.