New Chicago hospital prepared for pandemic, CBR terror threat

The butterfly-shaped facility that is the new Rush University Medical Center (RUMC) sits quietly on the Near West Side of Chicago awaiting the official opening of its doors this month. The RUMC facility and its staff are preparing to handle any type of pandemic or chemical, biological, or radiological (CBR) disaster that might hit Chicago.

At a cost of $654 million, the 14-story, 830,000-sf medical center, designed by a Perkins+Will team led by design principal Ralph Johnson, FAIA, LEED AP, is distinguished in its ability to handle disasters.

If such an event were to hit the Chicago area, the emergency response center could offer an unprecedented level of readiness for a mass outbreak of infectious disease, bioterrorist attack, or hazmat incident.

“This is the nation’s first facility designed to provide care for patients involved in chemical, biological, and radiological disasters,” says Dr. Dino Rumoro, RUMC’s chairman of emergency medicine. “We have to be ready for any type of disaster that can hit the city of Chicago.”

The 40,000-sf emergency room includes:

60 individual treatment bays that can accommodate up to two patients per bay, doubling the normal patient load
The ability to control airflow to seal off contagions in parts of the hospital
Ambulance bays that can be converted into decontamination centers, so that CBR victims could be sprayed down in large groups

Special equipment and a flexible infrastructure allow RUMC to accommodate surge capacity to treat mass casualties beyond the ER. Pillars in the main lobby are equipped with hidden panels that provide access to oxygen and other clinical gases, allowing RUMC to accommodate even more beds in a disaster scenario.

The floors above the emergency room are devoted to the interventional platform, where diagnostic testing, surgical, and interventional services and recovery are located within a short distance of each other. This results in enhanced collaboration between medical specialists, patients, and families. A total of 42 procedure rooms with enlarged operating rooms provide the latest surgical technology.

The new hospital adds 304 individual adult and critical beds on its top five floors, increasing the total number of beds across existing and new facilities to 664, making RUMC one of the largest hospitals in the area.

The hospital is awaiting LEED Gold certification. In addition to using recycled construction materials and considerable water- and energy-saving measures, the hospital has three green roofs—one atop the main tower, another on the ninth floor open to staff, and a third atop the entry pavilion. BD+C

Tenants increasingly expect a well-crafted property that feels unique, authentic, and comfortable—with technologically advanced systems and spaces that optimize performance and encourage collaboration and engagement. The following guidance will help owners and property managers keep tenants happy.

Architects | Jan 29, 2020

Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture school is closing

The school was established in 1932.

Libraries | Jan 23, 2020

Information or community center: The next generation of libraries must be both

Are libraries still relevant in a digital world?

Green | Jan 10, 2020

How the new EC3 tool raises the bar on collective action

Nearly 50 AEC industry organizations partnered to develop the groundbreaking Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator.

Architects | Jan 9, 2020

AIA selects recipients for the 2020 Regional & Urban Design Awards

The 2020 Regional & Urban Design program recognizes the best in urban design, regional and city planning and community development.

Building Technology | Jan 7, 2020

Tariff whiplash for bifacial solar modules

Bifacial solar systems offer many advantages over traditional systems.

Maximize Energy Efficiency in Class A Office Buildings With Modern Building Systems

Energy-efficient building design starts with the building envelope, but the building systems have a tremendous impact on energy use as well.

Life of an Architect Podcast | Jan 6, 2020

5 most popular Life of an Architect podcast episodes of 2019

Architects Bob Borson, FAIA, and Andrew Hawkins, AIA, LEED AP, produced 25 episodes of the Life of an Architect podcast in 2019. Here are the five most popular episodes of Life of an Architect based on the number of downloads.