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
| Jun 2, 2014
Registration is open for 2014 BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland Expo and Conference
BUILDINGChicago is a major conference and trade expo serving architects, engineers, contractors, property owners, real estate developers, government officials and community organizations in the Midwest.
| Jun 2, 2014
Nonresidential construction spending expands in April
Ten of 16 nonresidential construction subsectors posted increases in spending in April, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data.
| Jun 2, 2014
Parking structures group launches LEED-type program for parking garages
The Green Parking Council, an affiliate of the International Parking Institute, has launched the Green Garage Certification program, the parking industry equivalent of LEED certification.
| Jun 2, 2014
SOM unveils plans for Miami transit hub
The elevated station will be a key portal within All Aboard Florida’s rail system, the nation's only privately owned, operated, and financed rail network.
| Jun 1, 2014
Architect license upon graduation? NCARB aims to accelerate licensing process
Incorporating internship and examination requirements into university education, the regulatory organization looks to simplify and shorten the licensing process.
| May 30, 2014
MIT researchers create 'home in a box' transformable wall system for micro apartments
Dubbed CityHome, the system integrates furniture, storage, exercise equipment, lighting, office equipment, and entertainment systems into a compact wall unit.
| May 30, 2014
Riding high: L.A., Chicago working on their version of the High Line elevated park
Cities around the U.S. are taking notice of New York's highly popular High Line elevated park system. Both Chicago and Los Angeles are currently working on High Line-like projects.
| May 30, 2014
Developer will convert Dallas' storied LTV Building into mixed-use residential tower
New Orleans-based HRI Properties recently completed the purchase of one of the most storied buildings in downtown Dallas. The developer will convert the LTV Building into a mixed-use complex, with 171 hotel rooms and 186 luxury apartments.
| May 29, 2014
Turn your pen-and-paper sketches into digital drawings in seconds with this nifty gadget [video]
Funded through Kickstarter, iSketchnote uses a smart pen to instantly digitize hand-written notes and drawings.
| May 29, 2014
7 cost-effective ways to make U.S. infrastructure more resilient
Moving critical elements to higher ground and designing for longer lifespans are just some of the ways cities and governments can make infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters and climate change, writes Richard Cavallaro, President of Skanska USA Civil.