Construction Begins on the $284 Million HGA-Designed Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa

Torrance, CA – May 8, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Construction has begun on Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa (SMCSR), a $284 million replacement hospital designed by HGA Architects and Engineers. It will replace the current Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa on Chanate Road, located just north of San Francisco, which was originally built in 1938. The new 182,300-square-foot facility is expected to open in October 2014.

The new acute-care facility will showcase the most advanced building technologies and sustainable strategies by using Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) methods that will significantly streamline the construction process and reduce costs. Working closely with Unger Construction and Sutter Health, HGA designed a hospital positioned to become a community anchor and set a benchmark for excellence in 21st century patient-centered healthcare.

“By using IPD methods, we created a platform to ensure that keystone patient experiences – such as lobby spaces and waiting rooms – as well as sustainability components, weren’t sacrificed due to budget constraints,” said Greg Osecheck, principal-in-charge of the project in the firm’s Sacramento office. “In fact, with new technology such as 3D Building Information Modeling (BIM), our team was able to conceptualize together to reduce unknowns, create opportunities for cost savings, and design a facility that will serve the Sutter Health community for years to come.”

Located on a 25-acre site adjacent to the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, the two-story facility will consist of a diagnostic and treatment block, a patient wing, and helistop, and will enhance the services currently provided at the Chanate campus. Additionally, the facility will implement code-compliant seismic design and an improved care model and observation unit to provide comfort and privacy to patients that do not require hospitalization but do require up to 24 hours of nursing care, allowing for greater flexibility in admissions.

Designed to offer the best experience for its patients, the replacement hospital will include all single-bed, private adult patient rooms. Patients will benefit from daylight and exterior views, reduced noise levels, ample space for visitors, and warm, calming tones throughout the hospital.

Complementing Sutter’s award-winning patient care, SMCSR will be equipped with the most advanced healthcare technology available, including electronic monitoring of ICU patients, electronic health records, wireless telemetry and a nursing communication system which keeps patients connected with their care professionals at all times. Most importantly, the design addresses the ability to adapt to emerging advancements in treatment procedures and healthcare technology.

Designed to target LEED® Silver certification, the SMCSR project incorporates several sustainability strategies, including a comprehensive construction waste management program to recycle at least 75 percent of all construction and demolition waste; an advanced building management system which can monitor and control humidity, air flow, and exterior lighting; and efficient landscaping irrigation technology with bioswales and catch basins on site. The exterior design also incorporates a complete transportation management plan using bike paths, carpool preferential parking and electric vehicle charging stations to encourage the reduction of auto emissions.

“These are just some of the ways Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa is being designed and built with conservation and sustainability in mind,” explains Tom Minard, senior project manager for Sutter Health. “These measures demonstrate the ongoing commitment of the SMCSR team to enhance the environment of its new hospital and the community at large.”

SMCSR joins a number of other HGA-designed sustainable facilities in California, such as the Barlow Respiratory Hospital just outside of Downtown Los Angeles and the Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley.

The HGA team includes Greg Osecheck, principal-in-charge; Bill Whipple, medical planner; Creed Kampa, designer; Eric Jobes, May-Lin Chang, Aarti Lindahl and Hoa Tran, project coordinators; Brent Forslin, structural engineer; Bob Myers, structural engineering coordinator; and Amy White, interior designer.

Features of the 182,300-square-foot, two-story, 84-bed hospital include:

• Family Birthing Center with 10-bed LDR unit with two labor pool rooms, 20-bed Post-Partum Unit, two C-section rooms, a 12-bed Newborn Intensive Care Unit, and a 300-square-foot Family Sleep room with hotel-like accommodations

• 40-bed Medical/Surgical unit

• 12-bay Emergency Department with helipad

• 24-bed Observation Unit

• Imaging Department

• Six Operating Rooms, including Orthopedic and Cardiac surgery services

• 10-bed post-anesthesia care unit (PACU)

• 12-bed Intensive Care Unit

• Meditation room and gardens

About HGA
HGA is an integrated architecture, engineering and planning firm that helps prepare its clients for the future. With offices in Minneapolis and Rochester, Minnesota; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento, California; and Washington, DC, the nationally recognized firm has developed expertise in the healthcare, corporate, arts, community, higher education, and science/technology industries since 1953. HGA’s culture for interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge sharing and design investiga¬tion enables its clients to achieve success with responsive, innovative and sustainable design. Visit www.HGA.com.

About Unger Construction
Since its establishment in 1927, Unger Construction Co. has consistently been a leader in providing client-focused construction services throughout Northern California. Our success in maintaining a high level of customer service in our work has led to client satisfaction and loyalty that is uncommon in our industry. It also has motivated us to continuously improve our technical skills, collaborative processes, and operational efficiency in order to meet ever-increasing competition
and client expectations. Visit www.ungerconstruction.com

About Sutter Health:
Providing care in over 100 Northern California communities, Sutter Health enhances the well-being of people in the communities we serve through a not-for-profit commitment to compassion and excellence in health care services. Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa has a long history in Sonoma County dating back to 1866 when the first hospital was opened. In 1996, Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa became an affiliate of Sutter Health. Sutter Health is one of Northern California’s largest non- profit health care networks made up of over two dozen affiliated hospitals and over 5,000 aligned physicians and one of the largest private employers in Northern California with over 48,000 employees. Sutter Health invested $751 million in health care programs, services and benefits for the poor and underserved and broader community in 2010 and now provides an average of more than $2.3 million in charity care per week. www.suttersantarosa.org