Exclusive: HKS Inc. to design $400M Banner patient tower

Phoenix-based Banner Health is planning a 16-story patient tower on its flagship campus formerly known as Good Samaritan — making it the tallest hospital in Arizona.

Now called Banner — University Medical Center Phoenix, the campus is preparing for a 650,000-square-foot patient tower — though it is not yet approved and funded. The proposed tower would create 312 private rooms in the 16-story tower, eliminating all semi-private rooms.

Kip Edwards, vice president of development and construction for Banner Health, said he expects a final decision by December on when construction can begin on the patient tower.

“If we make a final decision by year end, we will be able to catch the tower construction up with the base and actually make it a continuous, fluid construction project,” Edwards said.

Meanwhile, a new emergency department has been approved to break ground in October, and will include two helipads and an emergency generator building. It is expected to open in December, 2019. This follows the opening of a 1,100-car parking garage on that campus.

HKS Inc. was awarded the design of the $400 million patient tower and emergency department at Banner — University Medical Center Phoenix.

The architectural firm is teaming with DPR Construction to design and build both the emergency department and the patient tower on that campus. Existing buildings on the campus are being demolished to make room for the new tower.

Edwards said it made sense to approve the design of the entire project, rather than adding on later.

“It allows us to firm up numbers, costs and a business case for building the tower and it also allows us — if we’re not going to build right now — to have everything prepared and designed below to receive it later,” Edwards said.

HKS and DPR also worked together on the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center expansion in Gilbert, said John Niziolek, project manager with HKS.

That project was half the size of the downtown Phoenix campus, he said.

Read full article: http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/health-care-daily/2015/08/exclusivehks-inc-to-design-400m-banner-patient.html