Grumman|Butkus Associates and Dickerson Engineering, Inc. provided engineering design and construction services for this renovation and expansion of 31 medical-surgical patient rooms on the fifth floor of Advocate Christ Medical Center. The project repurposed space vacated by the Behavioral Health program, which relocated to Advocate South Suburban Hospital.
The transformation involved two patient care units designed to enhance safety and efficiency. One unit now features nine private rooms serving as an extension of the progressive stepdown unit. The second unit comprises 22 private rooms, including seven designated for detoxification and 15 for cardiac medical-surgical patients.
Emphasizing healing and operational efficiency, the renovated units incorporate calming aesthetics, improved lighting, advanced infection control measures, and modern medical technology. Safety enhancements include secured access, enhanced monitoring systems, patient lifts, and flush showers designed to reduce self-harm risks. Reconfigured staff workstations have been implemented to improve visibility and workflow.
Adding an isolation room on the fifth floor of an 11-story building was a challenge that was solved by building a small mechanical room to house the exhaust fan, VFD, and HEPA filters. Constructing the new fifth-floor toilet rooms above a fully occupied fourth floor involved coordination with the fourth-floor hospital staff to close down rooms which were directly below the proposed new patient room. GBA worked with the fourth-floor staff to coordinate shutting down rooms one or two at a time to keep from interrupting services. The relocation of eight major sanitary and vent plumbing stacks also proved to be a challenge, which was solved by replacing stacks one at a time during the night when toilet room fixtures had a low demand.
Utilizing Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) and lean construction principles, the project maximized efficiency, reduced waste, and achieved cost savings. These savings facilitated an expansion of the original scope to include an additional staff restroom and a reconfigured nurse station.
Photos courtesy of Power Construction
