CRYSTAL CITY, Mo. — Good news comes in the form of 120,000-square-foot packages in Crystal City — the new patient tower at Mercy Hospital Jefferson is now open to patients and offers new and improved spaces, technology and services.

Bates & Associates Architects of Springfield, Mo., designed the project with Heideman Associates Inc. of Fenton, Mo., who provided engineering services on the project. McCarthy Construction based out of its St. Louis office was the general contractor on the project. The tower is three-stories high and 120,000 square feet.

The new patient tower features 90 private patient rooms and new wayfinding and corridors that better connect the different departments and wings of the building. Other features of the new tower include a newly-renovated main entrance as well as a reflecting pond and building materials made from stone and brick on the exterior. The design of the new tower includes the option to expand vertically for potential additional patient floors in the future if the need arises.

Additionally, the new tower included the construction of a new emergency department in conjunction with an accompanying waiting area and triage rooms. Cardiology facilities and MRI suites have been added; renovations were made on the existing tower as well, which included a new childbirth center on the third floor. This childbirth center includes remodeled postpartum rooms, new labor, and delivery suites as well as two dedicated surgical units.

Finally, shifting the location of the emergency helicopter landing pad as well as the ambulance entrance was included in the hospital renovations. In addition, the parking and emergency drive were expanded to create more overall space for parking and overall efficiency.

Keeping the 251-bed hospital open for the duration of the entire construction schedule to patients was no small feat, according to John Farnen, executive director of strategic projects for Mercy in a recent statement. In an effort to keeping the process as smooth and efficient as possible, the construction team used full building information modeling (BIM).

“Delivering a significant construction project on an active medical campus requires constant communication with hospital staff, patients, and the community,” said Farnen. “Mercy has worked with McCarthy for more than 30 years, and we rely on their healthcare expertise and ability to minimize disruptions throughout construction.”

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The seven-story research building, which broke ground in July 2011 and opened in June 2013, was designed by Perkins+Will’s Seattle office and constructed by locally based Sellen Construction. The $164 million building will accommodate approximately 400 researchers focused on finding cures for diseases in five major areas: immunology, rheumotology, kidney research, infectious diseases and vision science.

An undulating exterior glass curtain wall faces a beautiful shared courtyard, which will be at the center of several UW medicine buildings. The courtyard features several plants and water features to reduce urban heat island effect and a cistern to capture and store rainwater to irrigate the courtyard’s landscape. Designers hope the attractive outdoor space will encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers.

“Interaction and collaboration is key for the university and the researchers, so we wanted this to be a place that people would want to go, especially in the warmer months in Seattle,” said Andy Clinch, project designer with Perkins+Will. “It’s the center and the heart because all these buildings will face inward toward this courtyard.”

The courtyard, along with the transparent building, also intends to create a deeper connection between the building and the surrounding neighborhood. Passersby in the tech neighborhood will be able to see what is happening inside the building and enjoy the striking architectural elements of the project.

“We wanted to do something very special, dynamic and unique for that courtyard for not only the UW students and people who use the courtyard, but also for pedestrians who walk by,” Clinch said.

The transparent nature of the building also creates more visibility for researchers.

“From a transparency standpoint, research buildings tend to not have a lot of glazing or transparency,” said Tony Gainopoulos, managing principal with Perkins+Will. “From the ribbon wall to the other side of the building, this is a very transparent building, which allows users who work in their cubicles or lab spaces to have outside awareness and have light brought in.”

In research facilities, Clinch said, it’s all about energy conservation. Lab technologies are heavy energy consumers and lab space requires a lot of conditioned air, which creates a huge impact on the mechanical system.

To counter the large need for air conditioning, designers pulled the private offices out from the labs so offices would not require a heavy level of air conditioning. This was also a benefit because offices on the perimeter can now enjoy operable windows and natural light.

Other energy-efficient features in the building include chilled beams, heat recovery chiller, high-efficiency boilers, exhaust air energy recovery and improved lighting controls.

With two more phases to be completed in the UW research complex, Phase 3.1 has opened new doors for green design, Cinch said.

“We also help the university and push them outside their comfort level or what they’re used to doing,” Clinch said. “We bring them along to newer or better ways [of design].”

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