VCU Health Renovation, Expansion Wins National Award

RICHMOND, Va. — The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) honored VCU Health in Richmond with a 2016 Vista Award for the renovation and expansion of its emergency department, which was officially completed in August 2013.

The Vista Award recognizes teams that have worked together to develop and maintain safe, quality health care environments; demonstrate effective and efficient communication; and rely on data-based decision-making processes. The VCU Health project received a Vista Award in the renovation category, which means the organization altered existing conditions or added new space to existing structures while keeping the original building envelope essentially intact.

HKS served as the architect on the project, while Barton Malow served as the construction manager. Additionally, ccrd, a WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff company, designed the mechanical, electrical plumbing, fire protection and low voltage systems, and Dunbar, Milby, Williams, Pittman & Vaughan was the structural engineer. All four companies have local offices in Richmond.

The approximately $36 million renovation of the VCU Health Emergency Department (ED) encompassed more than 67,000 square feet of space on the main hospital’s ground floor. Updates included air-handling units that were added to accommodate the most recent code requirements as well as electrical and telecom rooms that were added in the early portions of the phasing to allow exam rooms to come online as they were completed. A pandemic exhaust system was also added to allow the entire department to go to negative pressure in the event of a mass infection.

The project was completed in four major phases that spanned five years. Two major challenges for the team included renovating the emergency department — which remained in operation 24 hours a day — with minimal disruption while keeping at least 65 exam rooms available at all times.

"The renovation and expansion of the VCU emergency department required the project team to keep the facility fully functional on a 24/7/365 basis," said David Wright, senior vice president for buildings at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, in a statement. "Our complex staging plan enabled the facility renovation and modernization of major building systems to be completed with minimal disruption to ongoing operations."

The team worked with hospital and emergency department leaders on the phased plan, but halfway through the project, hospital leadership requested a change in the phasing priorities that required a more complex phasing plan. Through strong and effective communication, the team was able to meet this request, and the updated plan allowed the renovated imaging department to open almost a year ahead of schedule.

“The completed project is reflective of the input from more than 300 doctors, nurses and staff of the ED, in addition to hundreds of other doctors, nurses and staff that interact with the ED on a daily basis,” said John Duval, VCU Health CEO, in a statement. “It was a truly collaborative effort that reached across the entire health system and whose completion exceeded all expectations.”

A post occupancy evaluation reviewed the functional performance of the space through the triangulation of staff and expert perception, operational data and environmental analysis, according to a statement from HKS. Staff turnover decreased by 36 percent in the adult emergency department. The addition of handrails in exam rooms also led to a decrease in patient falls, with no patient falls that can be directly attributed to the building.