CREJ - Healthcare Properties - JANUARY 2017
Craig Hospital, a world-renowned rehabilitation hospital and research center that specializes in the care of people who have sustained a spinal cord and/or a brain injury, celebrated the completion of a $90 million, three-year construction and expansion project to its campus. “Our expansion gives new life to the Craig campus and showcases our innovative spirit, our dedicated physicians and staff and our excellent programs and services,” said Mike Fordyce, president and CEO of Craig. “All of this combined further advances our world-class care, where patients, their families and staff all work together to help patients achieve their greatest level of independence and life quality.” The Craig campus at 3425 S. Clarkson St. in Englewood added approximately 85,000 square feet of new space, renovated 135,000 sf of existing space in its West building, and connected the West and East buildings to create a unified campus with a cul-de-sac main entrance and an accessible garden plaza area. “We are so grateful to the thousands of donors who made this campaign possible, and I especially want to recognize Dave and Gail Liniger, who contributed $14 million, and the Anschutz Foundation for its $5 million gift,” said Mary Feller, executive director of the Craig Hospital Foundation. “The Linigers have been longtime supporters of Craig and their incredible generosity transformed the campaign; and the Anschutz Foundation’s gift provided the leverage needed to inspire others to contribute.” The Craig Hospital Foundation’s “Redefining ROI: The Campaign for Craig Hospital” raised more than $73 million for Craig. Of that, $50 million supported the expansion project (the hospital funded an additional $40 million of the project through cash reserves and the sale of bonds), and an additional $23 million was raised to support Craig’s innovative programs for its patients. The general contractor was GE Johnson and RTA Architects was the architect. OZ Architecture to redesign Brush senior living facility Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center selected OZ Architecture to complete the design of its 54 assisted living and 18 memory care units in the center’s Brush senior living community. The improvements will span 54,000 square feet with the goal of increasing overall capacity and elevating the design of the existing campus. OZ Architecture’s plan for the more-than-100-year-old care center will build upon the previously developed campus master plan. The new design involves rejuvenating and modernizing Eben Ezer’s assisted living services while maintaining the context of the existing campus and buildings, which notably includes a historic church in the heart of the campus, OZ Architecture noted. Set in a rural community, the Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center will feature traditional red brick, a material prevalent elsewhere on the property, combined with alternating exposure lap siding to ensure the new building blends with and reinforces the rustic farmhouse atmosphere. The new assisted living and memory care building also will create a close and visual connection to the outdoors to enhance sensory experiences, which have been shown to stimulate the brain. A gardening room with direct access to the grounds outside will link the interior to the exterior and provide a place for residents to participate in activities like gardening, painting and other artistic pursuits, the firm added. Quiet rooms will be incorporated, providing residents with access to a calm, restful place with low lighting and no stimuli, something that is of particular benefit for residents with Alzheimer’s or dementia. “The best senior living communities are those where the architecture and design go beyond the basics, creating spaces on the exterior and interior that are visually appealing and at home in the surrounding neighborhood. This addition to the Eben Ezer campus will improve the experience and environment for both the residents and the staff who serve them,” said Jami Mohlenkamp, principal at OZ. Construction started in the fall at the facility at 122 Hospital Road. Neenan Co. completes two Colorado health care projects Fully integrated design-build firm The Neenan Co. recently completed two health care projects in Colorado. The firm celebrated the completion of the first skilled rehabilitation facility to open in the Louisville area – Flatirons Health and Rehabilitation. Completed in partnership with client Physicians Development Group, the 44,000-square-foot, two-story, skilled inpatient rehabilitation facility includes 45 private patient rooms, lounges, two dining rooms, in-house therapy, a chapel and an administration area. With high demand across the state attracting patients from within and outside the local area, the project provides short-term skilled nursing, physical, occupational and speech therapy services designed to rehabilitate and transition patients back to their homes safely, according to The Neenan Co. The firm also recently completed additions to the Melissa Memorial Hospital campus in Holyoke. The design-build partner for the facility’s 11,400-sf addition project, The Neenan Co. also previously served as the general contractor for the original hospital project in 2008. The campus improvements allow the hospital to expand its quality health care offerings to the surrounding community by including additional exam rooms, an observation bay, an ambulance garage and an enclosure for the existing ambulance drop-off, a heliport, a lab draw station and staff and provider housing. Additionally, the company broke ground on the Robert Maloff Center of Excellence, a health and sports performance center, in South Lake Tahoe, California. “We’re thrilled with the success of our two most recent health care projects, and for the continued growth of our health care specialty practice,” said David Shigekane, president of The Neenan Co. “We understand these medical facilities serve important community needs, and by working as a partner with our clients we go beyond design to think about the quality health care services the buildings enable.” A&P, Ohlson Lavoie, RLH Engineering start Estes Park project Adolfson & Peterson Construction, in partnership with Estes Park Medical Center, Ohlson Lavoie Collaborative and RLH Engineering, recently celebrated the groundbreaking of the Estes Valley Community Wellness Recreation Center project. This 68,000-square-foot project will offer multigenerational community space, senior services, library resources, child care facilities, family and youth amenities, indoor gardening space, meeting rooms and gathering spaces, and recreation space, including an indoor walking track, aquatics facilities, multipurpose gymnasium space, group exercise/fitness areas and locker/family changing rooms. “At AP we consider ourselves to be community builders and a project like this will have a profound impact on the quality of life for citizens of Estes Park and the surrounding area,” said Doug Johnson, vice president at AP. “We are excited for the opportunity to deliver a great project that exceeds expectations and will benefit the community for years to come.” The location of the new facility will be next to the existing Aquatic Center at 650 Community Drive in Estes Park. The project is scheduled for completion in fall. Children’s Hospital Colorado celebrates start of pediatric facility Children’s Hospital Colorado recently celebrated the groundbreaking of what will be the region’s first pediatric-only hospital in Southern Colorado: Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs. “Today, we are celebrating more than breaking ground. We are celebrating the fact that countless children from across Southern Colorado will be able to receive the specialized pediatric care and expertise they deserve much closer to home,” Jena Hausmann, CEO of Children’s Colorado, said at the groundbreaking event. “Thank you for so warmly welcoming us into your community and partnering with us as we reimagine child health.” “Home to nearly half a million residents, Colorado Springs was one of only three of the top 80 metro areas in the country lacking a comprehensive pediatric hospital and health system – until now,” said John Suthers, mayor of Colorado Springs. “The expansion of Children’s Colorado in our community not only positively impacts the region from an overall economic and community development standpoint, it brings world-class pediatric care to the children and families in our community.” More than 300 attendees came together to mark the occasion. Digging into a sandbox, the mayor and City Council joined Children’s Hospital Colorado leadership and patients to symbolically kick off the construction of the facility. “This is an exciting milestone for our team,” said Greg Raymond, regional vice president of Children’s Colorado in Southern Colorado. “Our team members have been working toward this hospital for years, as we passionately believe the children in our community need and deserve the best possible care. Our new hospital will house the city’s first pediatric-only emergency department, staffed by doctors who are double board certified in both pediatrics and pediatric emergency medicine. It also will house the first pediatriconly operating rooms in the region, which will contain specialized equipment designed for children and teens.” Located at the intersection of Briargate Parkway and North Union Boulevard in the Briargate area, the new hospital is expected to be completed in late 2018. The 294,000-square-foot facility will be a freestanding hospital and will contain five levels plus a lower level. Other features include a neonatal intensive care unit, a pediatric intensive care unit, a sleep study lab, a designated space for behavioral health treatment, and the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. Children’s Hospital Colorado is paying special attention to factors that also will help improve the family experience, such as private inpatient rooms with sleeping areas and beds for families, private bathrooms, views of Pikes Peak, playrooms, and family areas for parents and siblings. The first phase is headed by GE Johnson Construction Co. NexCore wins two national awards NexCore Group, a national health care real estate developer, received top billing in two categories of Healthcare Real Estate Insights magazine’s annual national awards program. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Tim Oliver, NexCore’s senior vice president, Healthcare Development. Denver-based NexCore also won top honors for its Buck Creek Medical Plaza in Avon, winner of the Best New Medical Office Buildings and Other Outpatient Facilities (25,000 to 49,999 square feet) category. The HREI Insights Awards are the only national awards dedicated to recognizing excellence in the areas of health care real estate development and executive leadership. The awards are presented annually by HREI magazine. “We are very pleased that HREI magazine has honored Tim Oliver, and our project, Buck Creek Medical Plaza, in its prestigious annual awards program,” said NexCore President and CEO Greg Venn. “Tim’s leadership and strategic vision over the years has contributed mightily to NexCore becoming the outstanding health care real estate firm it is today.” Oliver’s legacy includes being involved in the development and consulting engagements for more than 90 facilities totaling 5 million sf in the past 40-plus years. He has focused exclusively on medical real estate since 1974 and has co-founded several firms, including Western Skies, Integrated Medical Campus and NexCore. As for the winning MOB project, Todd Varney, NexCore managing director development and acquisitions, noted, “From its challenging site acquisition process to its fast-track development schedule, Buck Creek Medical Plaza embodies the spirit of collaboration and dedication that defines NexCore. Our tenants and the local community leaders were already delighted with the project, but we are honored to now have had our hard work and creativity recognized nationally.” Buck Creek Medical Plaza is a $28 million, three-story, 48,300-sf medical office building and freestanding emergency department/urgent care center located in the Vail Valley. The facility, which opened in June, realized the longstanding, elusive goal of a new, one-stop outpatient center in the Valley, further complicated by unique geography, topography and extremely high concentration of government-owned land, the firm noted. In a unique collaboration, NexCore was able to secure the 2.15-acre parcel through a land swap that involved the Eagle River Fire Protection District, the city of Avon and New York financier and Vail resident Oscar Tang, an individual highly committed to the Vail Valley, who owned adjacent land. NexCore fast-tracked its process and broke ground on Buck Creek seven months later. Centura Health and Colorado Mountain Medical anchor the plaza, which opened 94 percent leased.