Downtown hospital’s exterior unveiled

UTICA, N.Y. >> The Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) revealed the exterior design of its new, 373-bed, 672,000-squarefoot hospital that will be the center of the integrated healthcare campus in downtown Utica.

In collaboration with the MVHS outreach team, NBBJ has been leading the design of the new, regional healthcare campus since May 2017. Together with MVHS leaders, they have engaged more than 2,000 individuals throughout the community to obtain feedback and guidance regarding the design of the new hospital and its integration with the surrounding downtown area. The team also met with workgroups from several different departments within the health system in order to ensure the needs of the staff are properly met as they care for patients.

“We are excited to expand upon the vision of this new, integrated healthcare campus by sharing this tangible example of how it fits in with the community,” said Scott H. Perra, FACHE, president/CEO of MVHS. “We know that many members of our internal and external communities have been looking forward to the day when the design of the building would be revealed. We are designing the hospital from the inside out, first looking at the processes to care for patients and then designing the space to provide the care.”

Ryan J. Hullinger, AIA, NCARB, partner with NBBJ, said the community helped guide the design of the hospital’s exterior, especially in regards to the “historic nature” of the surrounding buildings, “as well as both old and new aspects of Utica’s architecture.”

“Using that feedback, our goal for the design was to create an exterior expression that respects the rich history of Utica and complements the surrounding neighborhoods, while projecting a sense of clinical excellence through rigorous detailing and craftsmanship,” Hullinger said. “This design works to embody both Utica’s past and its future.”

“This feedback has allowed us to create a stunning design that will fit in beautifully in downtown Utica,” Perra said.

Interior architecture meetings between NBBJ and MVHS providers and staff continue with a focus on the design and layout of the various rooms in the new hospital. Mock-rooms have been constructed at the MVHS New Hartford Medical Office – Crossroads location and will be used extensively to test the designs and layouts to ensure they work in reallife situations. These are in addition to the cardboard rooms that were previously constructed and used at the MVHS Medical Arts building in New Hartford.

“It’s great to see our physicians and staff so engaged in the design process for the new hospital,” said Perra. “They are the ones who will be using the space, so it’s important that they are significantly involved in the planning stages. We want to be sure the space and layout work for the care that will be provided by our excellent staff.”