Edward Heart Hospital, Naperville, Ill

In 1999 Edward Hospital began construction of the first specialty hospital dedicated to cardiac care in Illinois in response to the explosive growth of Chicago's western suburbs and the increased cardiac needs of the community.

An important goal was to fast-track the project and overlap the programming, design and construction. The overlap required team members to work together and communicate daily with the hospital staff.

The overall schedule was shortened by 11 months due to partnering. An additional two months were eliminated by preordering long-lead time items.

The 150,000-sq.-ft. building is a five-story, 71-bed hospital. It has intensive care, rehabilitation, education, CT scan, catheterization laboratories, operating rooms, medical library and doctor suites.

The building can accommodate an additional two floors.

Warm and Welcoming

A building was sought that was welcoming and homelike.

The interior included cherry wood, comfortable visitor furniture and overnight beds. The exterior has a garden with waterfall that is highlighted by the large lobby windows and patient rooms.

Nursing stations have been created with an open design, including couches and lounge chairs. The areas feature a model of care that focuses on enhancing the relationships between patients, families and caregivers.

On the preventive end, an auditorium with demonstration kitchen was included to teach heart-healthy cooking.

Individual patient rooms were a particular concern. The goal was to create a room that had the comfort and feel of a hotel, yet retain the required medical environment and equipment needs. One idea was to mask the medical gases and equipment with movable raised wood panels.

Increasing Visibility

The building resides on the most prominent corner of the campus, and all involved wanted to ensure the building serves as a landmark. A combination of precast, glass and masonry was developed that serves a function and makes a statement.

The precast chevrons and reveals provide additional dimension and texture to the exterior. The precast pieces are interlocked to provide the needed watertight connections and prevent water infiltration.

The new hospital is connected to the existing campus to allow efficient movement of patients.

Extensive mechanical coordination was required to make the most use of the limited ceiling space. The MEP subcontractors worked together with a common computer-aided-design system to ensure everything fit.

The jury said, "The design-build approach was a nice way to cut the schedule, and the partnering on the job showed that the team was committed to working together. Nice project."

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