E arly last month, the Medical University of South Carolina opened the doors to Ashley River Tower, its new state-of-the-art hospital designed to treat patients with cardiovascular and digestive disease problems. NBBJ, in partnership with local firm LS3P Associates, designed the 641,000-sf, 156-bed facility, which includes nine operating rooms, catheterization laboratories, interventional radiology laboratories, endoscopy suites, imaging suites, outpatient clinic space, and a dedicated around-the-clock chest pain center. Specially sized equipment, treatment space, and ICU beds accommodate bariatric surgery patients. The $275 million facility also includes a division specializing in surgery for gastrointestinal cancers.
Comprised of a four-story diagnostic and treatment building, a seven-story patient hospitality tower, and a garden atrium that connects the two buildings, Ashley River Tower is designed around the patient experience, with amenities to reduce the stress and anxiety of hospitalization, including spacious private rooms with family day space, wireless Internet access, family lounges on each floor, and valet and concierge services.