Like many hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Harris Methodist HEB Hospital has begun to see the need for more patient beds. This is why it has begun the design process for a new tower addition to its Bedford, Texas, campus. The addition will also expand Dietary Services, the Surgery Department, and Materials Management. To address the hospital’s system initiative to improve “The Patient’s Journey,” the existing lobby will be renovated to provide a more private admissions area and a “high-end” coffee bar.

The tower will provide the community with 80 new private patient rooms, with their design based on the hospital’s “Patient Room of the Future.” Each room is designed to be acuity-adaptable and will be divided into three zones: the Nursing Zone, Patient Zone, and Family Zone. The rooms will have a work area with an Internet connection so family members can stay in touch with work or friends while remaining at their loved one’s side.

The plan of each floor was laid out to provide flexible grouping to maximize nursing efficiency. The family waiting area is located at the end of each floor to provide just enough separation to give family members a break.

The goal is for the tower to give patients and their families a sense of calm and well-being that will aid in the patients’ healing and to create an atmosphere where the hospital staff can provide the highest-quality care to the community.

Project category: Project in progress (June 2008)

Chief administrator: Jack McCabe, President, (817) 685-4000

Firm: The Beck Group, (214) 303-6257

Design team: Rick del Monte, AIA, Director of Design; Jason G. Hale, AIA, Project Manager; David Hernandez, Project Planner; Ramon Villalba, Project Designer

Total building area (sq. ft.): 102,300

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $333

Total construction cost (excluding land): $34,042,000