Saint Francis Receives Two Construction Awards

HARTFORD, Conn. — Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center received an Excellence in Construction Award and the People’s Choice Award from the Connecticut Association of Builders and Contractors for the Innovation + Learning Center at Saint Francis.  

The 13,500-square-foot Innovation + Learning Center is home to the Connecticut Institute for Primary Care Innovation and was designed by S/L/A/M Construction Services of Glastonbury.

The space includes a collaborative theater to support teaching and training for clinicians and their teams; a simulation studio with a flexible floor plan for patient flow and office re-design analyses, as well as simulations to improve procedural skills, communication and teamwork; multiple locations for interactive learning, debriefing and high-definition video-conferencing.

“This award from the Connecticut Association of Builders and Contractors recognizes Saint Francis’ commitment to providing top-quality care in buildings and facilities,” said Bob Falaguerra, vice president, Facilities. “The Innovation + Learning Center provides high-tech space where we can focus on the healthcare needs of patients today, and into the future.”

“Our state-of-the-art Innovation + Learning Center allows us to conduct frontline research on healthcare delivery systems, develop partnerships and optimize educational opportunities for both trainees and current providers,” said Gregory Makoul, Ph.D., senior vice president, chief innovation officer, chief academic officer. “The features built into this facility help us achieve those goals.”

“SLAM’s Integrated Project Delivery process was ideally suited for this project,” said Bob Pulito, AIA, president, The S/L/A/M Collaborative. “Our mission to develop a one-of-a-kind, technically sophisticated facility, on an accelerated schedule, required a delivery process that would allow the design to evolve throughout the construction phase. Working with Greg, Bob and the others at Saint Francis, our team of designers and constructors was able to continuously develop and adjust the design to incorporate the latest technologies and innovations right up to final completion and occupancy. This integrated approach and seamless collaboration contributed to a wonderful facility and made for an extremely rewarding team experience.”

The annual CTABC awards event honors construction companies and subcontractors who performed work on outstanding construction projects. The Excellence in Construction winners are projects submitted to this annual competition and judged by an independent panel of judges, which include architects, engineers and university professionals. Project submittals must adhere to rigorous application requirements for consideration of the year’s top honors. Contractors must not only demonstrate outstanding quality in construction and references from the project owner, but also rigorous safety performance.