Worcester, MA
Outpatient Clinic
Scope/Solutions
The VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System (VA) and UMass Chan Medical School partnered to open a community-based outpatient clinic for veterans. The VA operates medical offices on the lower two floors, while the upper two stories were designed to provide flexibility for future tenant fitouts. SGH served as the structural engineer for the design-build project.
SGH collaborated with the architect, SmithGroup, and contractor, Suffolk, to provide a coordinated and integrated design that considered the contractor’s preferred construction sequence and methodologies. Highlights of our design include:
- A four-story, composite steel-framed superstructure with framing designed to support deflection-sensitive medical equipment in certain areas
- Special detailing, including using fiber-reinforced polymer reinforcing bars for concrete components supporting or surrounding equipment, such as MRI machines, affected by metallic materials
- Concrete masonry elevator and stair cores designed to serve as part of the building’s lateral load-resisting system and be temporarily unbraced for their full-height to streamline construction
- A large, low-profile canopy at the main entrance of the building, with smaller canopies at the loading dock and rear exits
- Two-story lobby spaces, one for the VA and another serving the tenant space above
- A pedestrian bridge spanning 40 ft and connecting to the adjacent parking structure
- Rooftop platforms for heavy mechanical equipment serving the VA and tenant spaces
- A free-standing, architecturally exposed steel canopy structure at the entrance to the adjacent parking structure
Photo courtesy of Suffolk
Photo courtesy of Suffolk
Photo courtesy of Suffolk
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Project Summary
2021
Completion Date
90M
Construction Value
118K
Project Size
Award
Winner
LEED
Certification
Solutions
New Construction
Services
Structures
Markets
Health Care & Life Sciences
Client(s)
SmithGroup
Specialized Capabilities
Building Design
Key team members
Additional Projects
Northeast
University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center
The granite-clad Medical Center building, built in the 1970s, is nine stories tall. SGH led an investigation of the stone cladding when the owner observed bowing, cracking, and displacement of the cladding.
Northeast
Maine Medical Center Coulombe Family Tower Expansion
The recent expansion of the Coulombe Family Tower includes a two-story, vertical addition to the five-story hospital building that SGH designed in the mid-2000s. Anticipating continued growth, Maine Medical Center (MMC) asked SGH to design the original base structure to accommodate additional stories. When MMC was ready to expand, they considered another impending need and asked the project team if the new addition could support a rooftop heliport. SGH provided building enclosure and structural engineering services for the project, which was completed while the Coulombe Family Tower remained occupied.