New Joplin, Mo., hospital built to tornado-resistant standards

The new Mercy Hospital Joplin in Missouri was designed to withstand winds of up to 250 mph.

The $465 million structure replaces St. John's Regional Medical Center that was destroyed in a 2011 tornado that devastated the city. The new 900,000 sf facility is scheduled to open 46 months after the storm struck.

The new hospital features a window and frame system that can protect patients from winds of up to 250 mph. The structure was built with a concrete roof and a precast concrete outer shell.

Engineers and architects with McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. and HKS Architects studied the storm’s aftermath and applied lessons drawn from that analysis in the new building.

Other buildings own by Mercy have also been shored up to withstand high winds. Strengthened windows have been added to other Mercy buildings including an orthopedic hospital in Springfield, Missouri, and a rehabilitation hospital in Oklahoma City.

For most of human history, design has mostly considered “typical users” who are fully able-bodied without clinical or emotional disabilities. The problem with this approach is that it offers a limited perspective on how space can positively or negatively influence someone based on their physical, mental, and sensory abilities.

In Duluth, Minn., the new St. Mary’s Medical Center, designed by EwingCole, is now the largest healthcare facility in the region Photo courtesy EwingCole

Healthcare Facilities | Dec 19, 2023

A new hospital in Duluth, Minn., is now the region’s largest healthcare facility

In Duluth, Minn., the new St. Mary’s Medical Center, designed by EwingCole, is now the largest healthcare facility in the region. The hospital consolidates Essentia Health’s healthcare services under one roof. At about 1 million sf spanning two city blocks, St. Mary’s overlooks Lake Superior, providing views on almost every floor of the world’s largest freshwater lake.

Healthcare Facilities | Dec 7, 2023

New $650 million Baptist Health Care complex opens in Pensacola

Baptist Health Care’s new $650 million healthcare complex opened recently in Pensacola, Fla. Featuring a 10-story, 268-bed hospital, the project “represents the single-largest investment in the healthcare history of northwest Florida,” said Gresham Smith project executive Robert “Skip” Yauger, AIA, LEED AP. The 602,000 sf Baptist Hospital is equipped with a Level II trauma center that provides 61 exam rooms and three triage areas.

Engineers | Nov 27, 2023

Kimley-Horn eliminates the guesswork of electric vehicle charger site selection

Private businesses and governments can now choose their new electric vehicle (EV) charger locations with data-driven precision. Kimley-Horn, the national engineering, planning, and design consulting firm, today launched TREDLite EV, a cloud-based tool that helps organizations develop and optimize their EV charger deployment strategies based on the organization’s unique priorities.

UChicago Medicine first freestanding cancer center TOWER FINAL Rendering courtesy CannonDesign

Healthcare Facilities | Nov 3, 2023

The University of Chicago Medicine is building its city’s first freestanding cancer center with inpatient and outpatient services

The University of Chicago Medicine (UChicago Medicine) is building Chicago’s first freestanding cancer center with inpatient and outpatient services. Aiming to bridge longstanding health disparities on Chicago’s South Side, the $815 million project will consolidate care and about 200 team members currently spread across at least five buildings. The new facility, which broke ground in September, is expected to open to patients in spring 2027.

The Evolution of Medical Facility Security

As the healthcare system grows, securing these facilities becomes ever more challenging. Increasingly, medical providers have multiple facilities within their networks, making traditional keying systems and credentialing impractical.