Green Healthcare Construction Project Completed with Help from KBE Building Corp.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – KBE Building Corporation, partnering with Hayner Hoyt Corporation, served as construction manager at risk for the $95-million, 200,000-square-foot full-service, critical care Christina M. Nappi Surgical Tower, which features 110 spacious private rooms and a 4,000-square-foot surgical waiting room with seating for approximately 135 people.

The Nappi Tower is located on the north end of St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, a non-profit, 431-bed hospital and healthcare system providing services to patients in 16 counties in Central New York. The Nappi Tower’s ripple effect on the Central New York economy is projected to be $98 million (according to general multipliers used in the construction industry).

Building Features
The surgical tower, which took one year to build, was designed by King & King Architects to maximize productivity while minimizing the possibility for medical errors.

• A “pass-through server” halves the number of steps taken by doctors and nurses traveling daily throughout the building
• Workstations on wheels allow caregivers to move more freely through patient rooms
• Mobile beds and equipment allow patients to be more easily moved within rooms as necessary

“Green” Features
The new surgical tower extends St. Joseph’s “green” footprint beyond its LEED Silver-certified emergency services building.

• Reduced water usage
• Storm water retention system
• Recycled content used in building materials and finishes
• Low- or no-volatile organic compounds in paints, carpets and finishes
• Entire building powered by “green” energy

The Nappi Tower in Numbers
More than 1,100 construction workers representing all trades installed the following:

• 2,313,000 feet of wire
• 311,000 pounds of ductwork
• 3,200,000 pounds of steel
• 8,329 cubic yards of concrete
• 915,000 square feet of drywall
• 502,000 linear feet of studs

Thanks to a thorough and well-thought-out plan developed during preconstruction, KBE was able to complete all work ahead of schedule and under budget without disturbing hospital patients or staff.

All construction workers were trained in hospital construction safety, a concept KBE has mastered following several phases of hospital expansion work at St. Joseph’s. During an earlier project phase, KBE partnered with Hayner Hoyt to complete an $80-million, 73,000-square-foot emergency facility and subsequent 50,000-square-foot renovation of the old emergency facility center after the new facility became fully operational. The Nappi Tower and the addition of 15 new operating rooms are the second phase of the multi-year project.

New patient rooms at the Nappi Tower have been designed to reduce patient falls, especially among seniors. KBE is also helping reduce falls at Tower One/Tower East in New Haven, Connecticut. As part of its corporate philanthropic program 50 Ways to Make a Difference, the firm recently donated $50,000 to the senior living facility’s Wellness Program, which includes a Fall Prevention Program.

Established in 2009 to celebrate the firm’s new ownership, name change and 50 years in business, 50 Ways has helped KBE associates donate more than $1.2 million and 5,000 volunteer hours to charitable causes benefiting children, seniors and military veterans in Connecticut and Maryland.

Photos courtesy of Revette Photography.