The new Mercy Hospital Joplin in Missouri was designed to withstand winds of up to 250 mph.
The $465 million structure replaces St. John's Regional Medical Center that was destroyed in a 2011 tornado that devastated the city. The new 900,000 sf facility is scheduled to open 46 months after the storm struck.
The new hospital features a window and frame system that can protect patients from winds of up to 250 mph. The structure was built with a concrete roof and a precast concrete outer shell.
Engineers and architects with McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. and HKS Architects studied the storm’s aftermath and applied lessons drawn from that analysis in the new building.
Other buildings own by Mercy have also been shored up to withstand high winds. Strengthened windows have been added to other Mercy buildings including an orthopedic hospital in Springfield, Missouri, and a rehabilitation hospital in Oklahoma City.
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Jun 10, 2021
Abrazo Cave Creek Hospital completes in Cave Creek, Ariz.
E4H Architecture designed the project.
Digital Twin | May 24, 2021
Digital twin’s value propositions for the built environment, explained
Ernst & Young’s white paper makes its cases for the technology’s myriad benefits.
Healthcare Facilities | May 20, 2021
California Veteran Home, Skilled Nursing Facility and Memory Care project set for Yountville, Calif.
A team of Rudolph and Sletten and CannonDesign will design and build the facility.
Market Data | May 18, 2021
Grumman|Butkus Associates publishes 2020 edition of Hospital Benchmarking Survey
The report examines electricity, fossil fuel, water/sewer, and carbon footprint.
Healthcare Facilities | May 12, 2021
New pet ER under construction in Vancouver, Wash.
The project will serve the Portland metro area 24 hours a day.
Healthcare Facilities | May 7, 2021
Private practice: Designing healthcare spaces that promote patient privacy
If a facility violates HIPAA rules, the penalty can be costly to both their reputation and wallet, with fines up to $250,000 depending on the severity.
Healthcare Facilities | May 5, 2021
HOK to design new Waterloo Eye Institute
The project is being designed for The University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry & Vision Science.
Healthcare Facilities | May 4, 2021
New proton therapy center will serve five-state region in Midwest
NCI-designated facility an addition to the University of Kansas Health System.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 30, 2021
Registration and waiting: Weak points and an enduring strength
Changing how patients register and wait for appointments will enhance the healthcare industry’s ability to respond to crises.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 29, 2021
HDR selected to design new Cancer Hospital in Shaoxing
Nature is at the heart of the project’s design.