Suffolk Construction recently joined Baystate Health in celebrating the opening of phase one of its expansion and facility-replacement project at Baystate Medical Center. Located in Springfield, Mass., the $296 million, 641,000-sf new clinical facility houses a heart and vascular center as well as critical-care and inpatient rooms designed in collaboration with patients and families. Suffolk has already begun work on phase two, a new Emergency Department, which will triple the size of Baystate’s existing emergency room, one of the busiest in the nation.
The new MassMutual Wing features the Davis Family Heart and Vascular Center, which includes six cross-functional surgical/endovascular suites. Representing the latest in patient-focused design, a new 20-room CARE (Cardiovascular Assessment, Recovery, and Evaluation) unit allows patients undergoing outpatient procedures to go from pre-op to discharge in the same room, with the same nursing team. The facility also consists of 96 private inpatient rooms and 32 cardiovascular critical-care rooms.
Suffolk provided preconstruction and construction management services for the project, which is part of a 15-year master plan for the hospital—the largest medical facility in Western Massachusetts. The project is predominantly new construction, including multiple tunnels and bridges, with tie-ins to two existing buildings. Of the new construction, approximately 40% remains as shell space for future development. Suffolk maintained vehicular and pedestrian traffic flow while relocating sidewalks, utilities, and the hospital’s main patient valet entrance. Permanent and temporary earth retention systems were required as the new building foundation was much lower than the existing adjacent buildings. The facility features its own central heating and cooling plant with three chillers, two cooling towers, and three boilers.
Using Building Information Modeling (BIM), Suffolk saved significant time and money on the project. The team is also working with Baystate Health to develop 6D facility maintenance options that will best suit the hospital’s needs in order to operate the building in the most efficient and economical ways possible. Suffolk adhered to the sustainable design principles of The Green Guide for Health Care and incorporated green elements, including a seven-story light well and green roof.
For more than three and a half years, Suffolk worked with Baystate Health to ensure that local workforce goals were achieved. The project created an average of 300 construction jobs, and seventy-seven percent of the total hours worked were by Springfield residents, people who live within 50 miles of Baystate’s Springfield campus, women, or minorities. BD+C
Related Stories
| Dec 28, 2014
10 key design interventions for a healthier, happier, and more productive workplace
Numerous studies and mountains of evidence confirm what common sense has long suggested: healthy, happier workers are more productive, more likely to collaborate with colleagues, and more likely to innovate in ways that benefit the bottom line, writes Gensler's Kirsten Ritchie.
| Dec 28, 2014
7 fresh retail design strategies
Generic ‘boxes’ and indifferent service won’t cut it with today’s savvy shoppers. Retailers are seeking a technology-rich-but-handmade vibe, plus greater speed to market and adaptability.
| Dec 28, 2014
Workplace design trends: Make way for the Millennials
Driven by changing work styles, mobile technology, and the growing presence of Millennials, today’s workplaces are changing, mostly for the better. We examine the top office design trends.
| Dec 28, 2014
AIA: Commercial glass façade and door systems
When it comes to selecting fenestration systems—particularly glass facades and door systems—a number of factors come into play, requiring a thorough evaluation of a project’s individual requirements.
| Dec 28, 2014
10 essential habits of successful architects
Want to take the next step as a design processional? John Gresko, Senior Project Architect with HDR, explores the traits that many great architects possess.
| Dec 28, 2014
10 unglamorous things architects do
An acquaintance recently asked me about the kinds of things I did on a day-to-day basis at work, anticipating a response loaded with enviable activities. She was wrong, writes HDR's John Gresko.
| Dec 28, 2014
New trends in ceiling designs and materials [AIA course]
A broad array of new and improved ceiling products offers designers everything from superior acoustics and closed-loop, recycled content to eased integration with lighting systems, HVAC diffusers, fire sprinkler heads, and other overhead problems. This course describes how Building Teams are exploring ways to go beyond the treatment of ceilings as white, monolithic planes.
| Dec 27, 2014
7 ways to enhance workplace mobility
The open work environment has allowed owners to house more employees in smaller spaces, minimizing the required real estate and capital costs. But, what about all of their wireless devices?
| Dec 27, 2014
'Core-first' construction technique cuts costs, saves time on NYC high-rise project
When Plaza Construction first introduced the concept of "core first" in managing the construction of a major office building, the procedure of pouring concrete prior to erecting a steel frame had never been done in New York City.
| Dec 23, 2014
5 tech trends transforming BIM/VDC
From energy modeling on the fly to prefabrication of building systems, these advancements are potential game changers for AEC firms that are serious about building information modeling.