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
| Feb 26, 2013
Tax incentive database for reflective roofs available
The Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association (RCMA) and the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) created a database of current information on rebates and tax credits for installing reflective roofs.
| Feb 25, 2013
10 U.S. cities with the best urban forests
Charlotte, Denver, and Milwaukee are among 10 U.S. cities ranked recently by the conservation organization American Forests for having quality urban forest programs.
| Feb 18, 2013
Syracuse hospital using robots to reduce infections by 50%
Fast Company's Nina Mandell writes about how an early adopter of UV infection-control robotics—St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse—is seeing positive results.
| Feb 15, 2013
Preservation lawsuit over Chicago's Prentice Hospital dropped
Preservation lawsuit over Chicago's Prentice Hospital dropped, freeing Northwestern University to demolish it and build a new research facility.
| Feb 14, 2013
5 radical trends in outpatient facility design
Building Design+Construction combed the healthcare design and construction sector to evaluate the latest developments in outpatient facility designs. Here are five trends to watch.
| Feb 14, 2013
Peter Bardwell named 2013 president of the American College of Healthcare Architects
The Board of Regents of the American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA) has named Peter L. Bardwell, FAIA, FACHA of Columbus, Ohio as 2013 national President.
| Feb 6, 2013
George W. Bush Presidential Center among award-winning roofing projects honored by Sika Sarnafil
Winners of the 2012 Contractor Project of the Year Competition were announced this week by Sika Sarnafil. The annual competition highlights excellence in roofing installation. Roofing contractors are judged based on project complexity, design uniqueness, craftsmanship, and creative problem solving.
| Feb 6, 2013
RSMeans cost comparisons: office buildings and medical offices
RSMeans' February 2013 Cost Comparison Report breaks down the average construction costs per square foot for four types of office buildings across 25 metro markets.
| Dec 9, 2012
AEC professionals cautiously optimistic about commercial construction in ’13
Most economists say the U.S. is slowly emerging from the Great Recession, a view that was confirmed to some extent by an exclusive survey of 498 BD+C subscribers whose views we sought on the commercial construction industry’s outlook on business prospects for 2013.