Project category: Project in Progress (April 2007)

Chief administrator: Erin Asprec, CEO, (713) 704-6891

Firm: Odell Associates, Inc., (704) 414-1000

Design team: Architect (Odell Associates, Inc.); Associate Architect (P&W Associates); Civil Engineering (Walter P. Moore); Structural Engineering (Haynes Whaley Associates, Inc.); MEP Engineering (Smith Seckman Reid)

Total building area (sq. ft.): 244,733

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $208

Total construction cost (excluding land): $51,000,000

Connected to Memorial Hermann Hospital via a second-and third-floor walkway, the six-floor Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute is a clear demonstration of Memorial Hermann’s commitment to innovation in the cardiovascular service line. Physicians here receive the very best in facility services and amenities, along with the benefits of an affiliation with the city’s fastest growing provider of healthcare.

Fulfilling the mission of consolidating and enhancing dispersed cardiac services within the existing hospital, the building houses 98 Cardiac Acute Care beds; 5 Cardiac Cath Labs; a 20-bed, 23-hour Stay Unit; Imaging; and Support Services. Designed for vertical expansion, the below-grade concrete structure includes 180 parking spaces. The 245,000-sq.-ft. concrete structure above rises seven levels in the first phase of construction. Future phases anticipate the construction of additional floors above the penthouse level to accommodate the expansion of services and the relocation of the CVICU and Cardiovascular Surgical Suite.

The interior design theme is intended to be classic and timeless, while honoring the historic character of the existing hospital by repeating natural materials and the warm color palette of wood, stone, and tile. Patient- and family-friendly features include conversational seating groups, Internet access, nourishment centers, and segregated play areas for children. Inpatient areas support central nurses’ stations, with staff workstations between each pair of rooms.