High-level NICU opens in Washington, D.C.

Design to the highest distinction available by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the new Level IIIC neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C., is equipped to care for the sickest premature babies, including those that require open-heart surgery. The 54-bed facility, designed by Karlsberger with KLMK Group as space planner, is four times larger than the medical center's existing space and will be able to accommodate more than 800 patients annually. Karlsberger consulted with patients' families during the design phase, which led to the inclusion of a parent area in each room with storage at each bedside, refrigerators for breast milk, and recliner chairs.

Other members of the Building Team include MEP engineer Leach Wallace, construction manager HITT Contracting, and Smith Seckman Reid, which provided technology and systems design.

"Obamacare" implementation will add thousands of people to the ranks of the insured, including many who formerly sought primary care in emergency rooms. Now, these patients will have coverage that allows them to more easily access the typical treatment channels—and that means greater demand for services provided in medical office buildings.

| Jul 19, 2013

Reconstruction Sector Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]

Structure Tone, DPR, Gilbane top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest reconstruction contractor and construction management firms in the U.S.

| Jul 19, 2013

Reconstruction Sector Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]

URS, STV, Wiss Janney Elstner top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest reconstruction engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.

| Jul 19, 2013

Reconstruction Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]

Stantec, HOK, HDR top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest reconstruction architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.

The Paramount Theatre of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was heavily damaged by flooding in

| Jul 19, 2013

Renovation, adaptive reuse stay strong, providing fertile ground for growth [2013 Giants 300 Report]

Increasingly, owners recognize that existing buildings represent a considerable resource in embodied energy, which can often be leveraged for lower front-end costs and a faster turnaround than new construction.

| Jul 18, 2013

Do third-corridor designs actually work for healthcare environments?

A recent study of a nursing unit assessed whether the space's third corridor does what it was intended to do: reduce noise and distraction to patients and nursing staff.