PROJECT CATEGORY Remodel/Renovation (completed September 2001)

CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR David L. Dunlap, CEO, (504) 899-9311

FIRM Sizeler Architects, (504) 523-6472

DESIGN TEAM Jose M. Fernandez, AIA, Principal-in-Charge; John Mipro, Construction Administrator; Robert Nunez, Quality Control; Vivien Yu, Intern Architect

PHOTOGRAPHY David Richmond

BED CAPACITY N/A

TOTAL BUILDING AREA (SQ. FT.) 72,939

TOTAL LAND AREA (ACRES) 1.28

TOTAL COST (EXCLUDING LAND) $6,800,000

Tenet HealthSystem bought an underused, 10-year-old Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat hospital next door to one of its hospitals, Memorial Medical Center, in New Orleans. The building was converted into the New Orleans Surgery & Heart Institute (NOSHI). Tenet’s goal was to move all surgery components from the main building of the hospital into the more spacious and centralized four-story facility.

The results: The number of operating rooms was reduced from 25 in the main hospital to 13 larger ORs in NOSHI. The larger ORs are designed to accommodate more equipment and allow the hospital to handle a larger volume of patients. NOSHI also became Memorial’s own type of independent hospital on the campus, creating the feel and convenience of a small, compact and patient-friendly facility while being part of a major medical center. Most importantly, this one-stop surgery center was designed to be as comfortable and convenient as possible for patients and their families.

As an EENT hospital, the building originally contained businesses and a small-scale surgery center. To accommodate full healthcare occupancy, the architects upgraded the mechanical systems, electrical requirements and fire ratings. Utility costs have been reduced because NOSHI now borrows power from the main facility as opposed to creating an independent plant for the building; therefore, chilled water, steam and electricity from the main hospital power plant move into the new building via the former pedestrian ramp.

Total project cost was only $92 per square foot.