The University of Pennsylvania’s new $1.5 billion hospital, dubbed the Pavilion, is the largest capital project in Penn’s history. It will be Philadelphia’s most sophisticated healthcare building.
The Pavilion is being built on Penn Medicine’s West Philadelphia campus. It will create a new public square and focal point for the surrounding buildings to anchor the health system. Not only is the new hospital designed to deliver the best care to patients based on current standards, but it will also have the ability to quickly adapt to any advancements that occur over the next few decades.
About 500 new private patient rooms and 47 operating/interventional rooms are included in the 1.5 million-sf, 17-story facility. A network of public bridges and walkways will link the Pavilion to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the adjacent Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine. It will also be connected to the nearby train station.
The hospital is broken down into smaller neighborhoods meant to provide a sense of community. Patients and employees will have access to plentiful daylight and landscaped views. Each patient room also has the ability to be personalized by patients and visitors.
Some of the highlights of the Pavilion include:
— Long term flexibility incorporated into the design so patient rooms can be adapted and changed over time with minimal impact to the building fabric. All the private patient rooms are uniform so the right care can be brought to them, which makes the hospital design flexible both today and into the future.
— Future in-room technologies that will strengthen communication between patients, families, and care teams provide for educational programming, and enhance multi-nodal physician consultation are all anticipated for the patient rooms.
— An environmentally conscious design, construction and operational plan for the Pavilion fortifies Penn’s commitment to the environment. The design includes innovations like the re-use of water, 100 percent outside air, optimized access to daylight, outdoor green space for patients, families and staff, and ultimately a high performance building envelope and mechanical systems.
The Pavilion Build Team consists of healthcare design firm HDR, international architect Foster + Partners, engineering designer BR+A, construction management expert L.F. Driscoll and Balfour Beatty, and Penn Medicine’s clinical and facilities experts. The hospital is scheduled for completion in 2021.
Related Stories
| Jun 18, 2014
Arup uses 3D printing to fabricate one-of-a-kind structural steel components
The firm's research shows that 3D printing has the potential to reduce costs, cut waste, and slash the carbon footprint of the construction sector.
| Jun 16, 2014
6 U.S. cities at the forefront of innovation districts
A new Brookings Institution study records the emergence of “competitive places that are also cool spaces.”
| Jun 12, 2014
Austrian university develops 'inflatable' concrete dome method
Constructing a concrete dome is a costly process, but this may change soon. A team from the Vienna University of Technology has developed a method that allows concrete domes to form with the use of air and steel cables instead of expensive, timber supporting structures.
| Jun 11, 2014
5 ways Herman Miller's new office concept rethinks the traditional workplace
Today's technologies allow us to work anywhere. So why come to an office at all? Herman Miller has an answer.
| Jun 9, 2014
Green Building Initiative launches Green Globes for Sustainable Interiors program
The new program focuses exclusively on the sustainable design and construction of interior spaces in nonresidential buildings and can be pursued by both building owners and individual lessees of commercial spaces.
Smart Buildings | Jun 8, 2014
Big Data: How one city took control of its facility assets with data
Over the past few years, Buffalo has developed a cutting-edge facility management program to ensure it's utilizing its facilities and operations as efficiently, effectively, and sustainably as possible.
| Jun 4, 2014
Emerging trends in healthcare development: neighborhood care, mixed-use models on the rise
In urban and even suburban markets, real estate is about the "live, work, play," with close proximity to mass transit and other amenities, like retail stores. Healthcare organizations are following suit.
| 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.
| 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.
| May 23, 2014
Top interior design trends: Gensler, HOK, FXFOWLE, Mancini Duffy weigh in
Tech-friendly furniture, “live walls,” sit-stand desks, and circadian lighting are among the emerging trends identified by leading interior designers.
