Project Description
As thought leaders in the area of pediatric design, Shepley Bulfinch leveraged its considerable expertise to right size, consolidate and re-locate Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo to the newly designed Oishei Children’s Hospital, fully integrating the new facility with the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC) and the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The only freestanding pediatric hospital in New York State and one of 43 nationwide, the new $270 million, 410,000 SF, 185-bed facility serves as the region’s perinatal center and ACS Level 1 pediatric trauma center. It includes a 64-bed private room neonatal intensive care unit, labor and delivery unit, joint pediatric hematology/oncology unit in partnership with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, as well as comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services co-located to meet the growing demand of pediatric and women’s health services for Kaleida Health, Western New York and beyond.
Named after Buffalo native, industrialist and philanthropist John R. Oishei, the 12-story Oishei Children’s Hospital leverages existing logistical support services on campus including mechanicals, materials management and centralized clinical labs. An underground tunnel connects the new building with Buffalo General Medical Center and Gates Vascular Institute to provide back-of-house circulation and utility connections. A sky bridge over Ellicott Street connects both buildings and provides circulation for patients, visitors and staff. The result is a new facility that focuses on caring for moms and children, with a 25 percent reduction from its former size and a $60 million reduction in its operating budget.
Every element of the new facility was designed with patients and families in mind. The massing of the building fans from the street edge as it transitions from the podium to the tower, decompressing the campus at the pedestrian level and creating a hanging garden effect on the entry façade providing a welcoming experience. The elevator lobbies and public areas on each floor face the main entryway with floor-to-ceiling windows, providing campus views that orient visitors within the building. Each floor’s unique theming, color scheme and environmental branding assist families and visitors with wayfinding, as well as playrooms and public spaces where patients and their families can gather and seek respite. Space such as the Fisher-Price/Mattel Family & Child Support Services Floor was prioritized for family respite, education and care. This sanctuary away from clinical and public areas located on a middle floor includes a Family Resource Room, laundry amenities, kitchenettes, family lounge, winter garden, non-denominational chapel and meditative roof garden, providing much needed relief for patients and their families.
Oishei Children’s Hospital 64-bed private room Children’s Guild Foundation Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on the fourth floor, one of the largest in New York State, was designed to be quiet, calm and private. The womb-like floor allows mothers to be with their babies around the clock and features an all-weather solarium that provides respite for patients, family and staff. The state-of-the art Sal H. Alfiero Pediatric Intensive Care Unit on the ninth floor features 20 private patient rooms designed to foster a comfortable, family-centered care environment. All patient rooms offer ample space for advanced medical technology and amenities, including in-room seating that turns into sleeping areas for visiting family. The upper floor is dedicated to specialty services and pulls together two previously separate outpatient and inpatient units into a single, expanded-service facility, creating a center of excellence for the care of children with cancer, rare blood diseases and epilepsy.
Shepley Bulfinch’s healthcare design experience includes projects for Boston Children’s Hospital, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Banner – University Medical Center Tucson, and Yale-New Haven Health System, among many others.