HKS Selected to Design Cook Children’s Health Care System POB

FORT WORTH, Texas — HKS Inc. was selected to design Cook Children’s Health Care System’s five-story, 120,000-square-foot professional office building and seven-level, 460-car parking garage.

The new professional office building will consolidate about 400 administrative staffers, located throughout the healthcare system, into one building on the main campus.

According to Ruel Mendoza, designer with HKS, the building reflects the campus brand through the use of complementary materials and colors, while retaining its connection to the existing north campus. The project also includes a sustainable courtyard to provide a comfortable and pleasurable space for all to enjoy.

The project will be completed using an Integrated Project Delivery approach working with Linbeck Construction. Other key team members include DynaTen Corporation, mechanical and plumbing engineers; CJG Engineers, structural engineers; Dunaway Associates, civil engineers; and Fisk Electric, electrical engineers.

Brent Sparks, associate principal/project manager with HKS, notes the not-for-profit client is dedicated to being good stewards of their resources. “In keeping with the innovative, not-for-profit leadership style of the organization, Cook Children’s Health Care System turned to the IPD methodology to improve its project delivery process.”

IPD uses early involvement of key project participants, which enables cross-functional teams of designers and contractors to drive collaborative solutions throughout the entire project delivery process.

“We feel the IPD process will produce more reliable and consistent project results over traditional project delivery methods,” Sparks said. “The end result should lead to a reduction in design and construction costs compared to historic benchmark costs.”

The professional office building has an estimated delivery date of August 2013.

“The centralized office will share the Cook brand of quality care while promoting and encouraging diverse collaboration,” said Frank Effland, associate principal and senior interior designer with HKS. “We incorporated natural light, sustainable elements and a sense of community into an open office environment. The design also supports long-term flexibility with raised-access floors, movable walls, modular furniture and a uniform planning template.”