Plaza West Tower, the new 16-story patient care tower at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, has opened. The tower enhances the experience for patients and their families under the expert care of WashU Medicine physicians and BJC HealthCare clinical teams. The tower offers 224 private inpatient rooms and 56 private intensive care unit rooms, advanced imaging and the latest in surgical preparation and recovery. The project team included McCarthy and CannonDesign.
The tower offers critical care bed space for patients awaiting or recovering from advanced treatments including heart transplants, valve repairs or replacements and minimally invasive procedures. The tower is also designed to accommodate surges in patient volume and the need for isolation in the event of future pandemics. Noteworthy design elements include:
- Advanced bedside technology
- Family friendly spaces
- Two outdoor rooftop gardens
- Panoramic views of Forest Park from quiet seating areas on every inpatient floor
- A calming environment with natural light, art and views.
Plaza West Tower is located on the site of the former Queeny Tower and is part of BJC HealthCare’s Campus Renewal, a long-term vision to transform the Washington University Medical Campus through new construction and renovations, with an overall focus on improving the experiences of patients and families. To date, the phases of the Campus Renewal Project have had an economic impact of nearly $2 billion, adding to the more than $20- billion total economic impact by BJC Health System across the communities BJC serves.


