University Health is a nationally recognized teaching hospital located in San Antonio and includes a network of outpatient healthcare centers. Joeris + JE Dunn were selected as the Joint Venture CMAR team to build the new women and children’s tower at their flagship hospital in San Antonio.
The main feature of the Women’s & Children’s Hospital project is the 697,000-square-foot, 12-story tower with 290 beds. Offsite prefabrication was a critical component of the plan to deliver a high-quality, efficient project while minimizing onsite disruptions for this busy hospital campus. Construction also included a 6-story, 400,000-square-foot parking garage and podium expansion that included kitchen, server and pharmacy.
Offsite prefabrication was a critical component of the plan to deliver a high quality, efficient project, while minimizing onsite disruptions on a busy campus. Items planned for offsite prefabrication include exterior skin, corridor MEP racks, vertical shaft MEP racks, patient room overhead MEP racks, branch electrical rooms and electrical conduit racks.
The facility’s design heeds evidence-based strategies, with care given to provide natural light, expansive views of nature, private patient rooms, and ample space for families. Family activity spaces at the north end of the building feature variable, single- and double-height spaces throughout the patient tower. These spaces take advantage of views, create a pop of color, and initiate a warm, living room-like atmosphere for family to socialize, share meals, and have moments of respite.