The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, has broken ground on Phase II of its $100-million addition and alteration project to enhance patient services at Winn Army Community Hospital, Fort Stewart, Ga. For both phases, LEO A DALY is providing planning, programming, architectural, engineering and interior design services. McCarthy Building Companies is the general contractor.

The Winn Army Community Hospital, first constructed in 1983, provides medical care for approximately 40,000 beneficiaries. With a forecast population increase of nearly 15,000 active duty and active duty family members due to Base Realignment and Closure and Grow the Army initiatives, the new additions and alterations provided by this project will result in meeting the current and anticipated future demands for medical services and treatment at Fort Stewart.

Phase II of the project includes a two-story, 43,600-square-foot addition to the hospital, as well as 55,000 square feet of renovations. The addition will house a new emergency department and relocate service offices for quality management, industrial hygiene, information systems and medical supplies. Additionally, a new dining area with an exterior courtyard will be built adjacent to the existing kitchen. The kitchen, along with a new serving area, will be fully renovated. The vacated hospital space will be renovated to support family medicine, internal medicine, pathology, pharmacy, security, nutritional care and legal offices. Completion of Phase II is anticipated in 2016.

Phase I, already under construction, includes a new two-story, 65,000-square-foot medical clinic addition that will house physical and occupational therapy, orthopedic services and behavioral health services. This phase includes an upgrade and addition to the hospital’s central utility plant. Completion of Phase I is anticipated in 2014.

The project design and construction team is managing a highly complex, 50-step project phasing process that allows the hospital to remain operational while the addition is under construction. The relocation of several existing departments into the addition will free up space for the hospital’s renovations to occur without disrupting patient care.

The hospital will boast sustainable features such as vegetative and highly reflective roofs, recycled materials and stormwater reduction systems that reduce the buildings’ energy use and impact on the environment. The new addition is designed to achieve LEED-Silver certification.

All elements of the design are intended to enhance the patient’s healing experience. A series of landscaped courtyards will provide patients with space for relaxation, meditation and occupational therapy for activities like gardening and exercising. A new central atrium will take in natural lighting from the clerestory windows above and through the north-facing glass wall for the main interior walkway. Also, a water feature will extend from the upper floor to the entry level, providing the calming sound of running water and giving patients a point of reference within the facility.

Images courtesy of LEO A DALY.