Project category: New construction & Remodel/Renovation (completed October 2005)

Chief administrator: Stephen Laverty, CEO, (978) 922-3000

Firm: Steffian Bradley Architects, (617) 305-7137

Design team: Bob Humenn, Principal, Designer; Ai Kurokawa, Designer; Kirsten Waltz, Project Manager; Don Luoni, Construction Administration; Linda Haggerty, Principal, Interior Design (Steffian Bradley Architects); Aim Tantikul, Interior Design (Illustrations On Demand, LLC)

Photography: © DamianosPhotography

Total building area (sq. ft.): 5,000 (new); 500 (renovation)

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $360 (new); $400 (renovation)

Total construction cost (excluding land): $1,800,000 (new); $200,000 (renovation)

To support this major North Shore hospital’s expansion and projected growth, the architect provided master planning services. As a result of the master plan, the hospital and architect successfully finished Phase I, which includes a new special care nursery addition, as well as the building shell for future expansion of the postpartum maternity unit.

Completed in October 2005, the 5,000-sq.-ft. special care nursery addresses the hospital’s need to expand from 7 to 12 bassinets and includes an isolation room. The design focuses on the opportunity to address patient-focused care by providing adequate room for the parents to be at their child’s bedside without interfering with staff activities. Privacy is provided by island headwalls for each infant and transparent screening walls for separation. The island headwalls include clinical storage, as well as storage space and refrigerators for parents. Two overnight rooms and a resource area that includes publications and Internet access for research are also available to the parents.

In addition to patient-focused care, the design of the special care nursery focuses on controlled lighting and the integration of natural materials. The lighting provides each bassinet station with an individually controlled lighting unit that is functional for staff and parents.