PHILADELPHIA — PennFIRST is completing the planning and design process for the University of Pennsylvania’s new $1.5 billion hospital. The “Pavilion” will be situated on Penn Medicine’s West Philadelphia campus where it will create a new public square and a focal point for all surrounding buildings to anchor the health system. An official groundbreaking took place on Wednesday, May 3.
The Pavilion will house inpatient care for the Abramson Cancer Center, heart and vascular medicine and surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, and a new emergency department. The project is slated for completion in 2021.
Located on the former site of Penn Tower, the Pavilion will be home to about 500 new private patient rooms and 47 operating/interventional rooms in a 1.5 million-square-foot, 16-story facility. The Pavilion will be linked to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the adjacent Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine as well as the train station via a network of public bridges and walkways.
Long-term flexibility was incorporated into the design so that patient rooms can be adapted and changed over time with minimal impact to the building fabric. The patient rooms will be equipped with in-room technologies to strengthen communication between patients, families and care teams, provide for educational programming and enhance physician consultation.
An environmentally conscious design, construction and operational plan for the Pavilion features re-use of water, optimized access to daylight, outdoor green space for patients, families and staff, and a high-performance structure and mechanical systems.
The PennFIRST team is comprised of HDR, Foster + Partners, BR+A, L.F. Driscoll, Balfour Beatty and Penn Medicine’s clinical and facilities experts.
— Kristin Hiller