New Outpatient Facility Breaks Ground at Orange County Children’s Hospital

ORANGE, Calif.—McCarthy Building Companies today announced it broke ground on Children’s Hospital of Orange County’s (CHOC) Southwest Tower. The new tower, designed by CannonDesign, is a 9-story, 330,000-square-foot outpatient facility that will house five floors of Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI 3) facilities, and four floors of clinics, offices and research areas.

Designed to match CHOC’s Bill Holmes Tower, completed by McCarthy Building Companies in 2012, the Southwest Tower boasts bright colors and a kid-friendly feel. It will include a variety of futuristic technical characteristics, with advanced features that enable better telemedicine opportunities, interactive screens for patients and staff, digital check-in kiosks, and wayfinding interior graphics.

“It is an honor to have been voted in by CHOC’s board as the contractor of choice for this exciting new Southwest Tower, which will be a transformational project for our area,” said Jim Madrid, Executive Vice President of McCarthy Building Companies.  “CHOC is an essential member of the Orange County community, and we have been affiliated with the heroes who lead this pediatric healthcare system for more than a decade. This facility enables McCarthy Building Companies to leverage our deep well of expertise in the healthcare sector that will have a positive impact well beyond the scope of this project.”

“The design of the new Southwest Tower emulates that of its adjacent Bill Holmes Tower, integrating it seamlessly into the CHOC campus while offering a variety of unique technology and care features that makes it an inviting and warm environment for children and their families,” said Gary Owens, FAIA, FACHA, CannonDesign principal and lead designer of the Southwest Tower. “We relish in the challenge of designing a space that not only meets the stringent requirements of HCAI 3 facilities, but also creates a beautiful and inviting space for the pediatric patient population.”

The Southwest Tower is scheduled to be completed in 2025.