The idea: Mount Sinai Hospital Queens, a 235-bed licensed adult acute care facility in Astoria, N.Y., wanted to upgrade its outdated and cramped double- and multiple-occupancy patient rooms to single-patient rooms, responding to informal patient surveys on room comfort that indicated a desire for more upscale interiors and privacy. In Phase 1 of the project, Charles J. Nafie Architects (New York) developed a plan to upgrade 13 patient rooms, creating 10 single rooms with adjoining toilets. 

 
How they did it:The design team was tasked with creating an interior plan that would accommodate the assortment of existing patient room layouts and modernize the space with fresh paint, comfortable furnishings, and amenities such as refrigerators and Internet access.
 
The staff and administrators at Mount Sinai were involved from the start of the project, selecting fabrics, furniture, and artwork.  
 
The big reveal: The renovated patient rooms include digital nurse-call systems, flat-screen TVs, new finishes with wood wainscoting and matching headwalls, low-maintenance laminate-wood flooring, motorized shades with bedside controls, new toilets with automatic-sensor controls, and lighting—all to better meet the needs of patients while also maintaining a safe environment for staff.
 
In the midst of its urban environment, the hospital’s final design creates a private and warm space that’s welcoming and comfortable for patients, visitors, and staff.  
 
  • Completion date: Phase 1 completed May 2012
  • Owner: Mt. Sinai Hospital Queens
  • Architecture: CJNA Architects
  • Interior design: CJNA Architects
  • Contracting: Hellman Construction Co. Inc.
  • Engineering: Mottola Rini Engineers
  • Construction: Hellman Construction Co. Inc.
  • Photography: Jennifer Fiore Photography
  • Total building area: 3,200 sq. ft.
  • Total construction cost: Phase 1: $ 1.5 million
  • Cost/sq. ft.: $ 430 sq. ft.
  • Art/pictures: Leader Associates Art Consulting
  • AV Equipment/electronics/software: Panasonic
  • Carpet/flooring: Lonseal Dakota (Topseal); Daltile – Castle De Verre
  • Ceiling/wall systems: Armstrong – Ultima
  • Doors/locks/hardware: Schlage
  • Fabric/textiles: Architex
  • Furniture – seating/casegoods: Nemschoff – chairs & settes; Krug – tables
  • Handrails/wall guards: Construction Specialties
  • Lighting: Lightolier – Lay-in & downlights; Kohler – Sconce
  • Signage/wayfinding: Mount Sinai
  • Surfaces – solid/other: Corian – solid surfacing; Wilsonart – Laminates
  • Paint: Benjamin Moore
  • Motorized shades: International Blind – Phifer Sheerweave
  • Medical headwall system: Modular Services Co.

 

Do you have a space that's been transformed? Send before and after photos, and a brief project description, to Jennifer Kovacs Silvis at jsilvis@vendomegrp.com.