WHR Architects Joined Memorial Hermann for Groundbreaking in the Texas Medical Center

07/09/2015 | WHR Architects

WHR Architects Joined Memorial Hermann for Groundbreaking in the Texas Medical Center - $650 Million Renovation and Expansion Project Designed to Meet Future Community Health Needs

Houston, Texas — WHR Architects joined their clients from Memorial Hermann Hospital on May 27, 2015 for the groundbreaking ceremony for Hermann Pavilion Two at the Memorial Hermann campus in the Texas Medical Center.

“Seeing this significant project move forward is especially exciting for the architects and planners who have been working with Memorial Hermann on the new facility,” said David Watkins, FAIA, Founding Principal of WHR, the healthcare practice of EYP. “This expansion will enable Memorial Hermann to stay ahead of the fast-growing advances in medicine, keep pace with the extraordinary growth of the city and meet the health needs of the community for years to come.”

"With this renovation and expansion project, we are ensuring that the communities we serve have access to a critical care infrastructure that Memorial Hermann uniquely provides," said Memorial Hermann President and CEO Dan Wolterman. "We are taking a forward-looking approach to establishing this infrastructure that will effectively meet the health needs of future generations."

Memorial Hermann’s $650 million Breaking New Ground expansion and renovation will provide: 160 additional beds (plus 71 replacement beds); 24 operating rooms (19 replacement and five new); 16 additional emergency room bays; 750 new parking spaces; and a 335-seat café. The 15-story patient care tower will also house the Memorial Hermann Texas Trauma Institute and Memorial Hermann Life Flight®, including the John S. Dunn Helistop and the dispatch center, as well as the John S. Dunn Burn Center – the only comprehensive burn center in Houston verified by the American Burn Association – which will expand to 20 beds. In addition, seven shelled floors and six shelled operating rooms will be constructed to accommodate future growth with the potential of adding 264 beds.

WHR has been actively involved in the development of the TMC for many years, where the firm has designed over 11 million square feet of space for institutions including: Houston Methodist, Memorial Hermann, Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHealth), and Prairie View A&M University College of Nursing.

Memorial Hermann is a longtime client of WHR. In addition to multiple projects at Memorial Hermann Hospital, WHR has designed community hospitals for Memorial Hermann in Katy, Sugar Land and The Woodlands, Texas.

ABOUT WHR:
WHR, based in Houston, Texas, with additional offices in Dallas, Raleigh, New York City and Copenhagen, Denmark, is the healthcare practice group of EYP, Inc., currently ranked No. 1 in healthcare renovation and the 13th largest healthcare design practice in the United States. WHR’s commitment to critical thinking is balanced by an ingrained empathy that results in both improved project outcomes and positive working experiences for their clients. With over 180 people, the healthcare practice group is working on projects worldwide for top tier public and private education and medical institutions. For more information about WHR Architects, visit http://www.whrarchitects.com.

ABOUT EYP:
EYP is a renowned global provider of high-performance building design, research, and consulting services to higher education, government, healthcare, and corporate clients. Ranked No. 1 in sustainability and fifth overall on Architect magazine’s prestigious Architect 50, the company provides seamless project delivery with access to the award-winning expertise and resources of its family of practice groups, which includes sustainable design leader EYP Architecture & Engineering; WHR Architects, healthcare design specialists; and The Weidt Group, building energy performance specialists. More than 580 professionals in architecture, engineering, energy, and interior design collaborate across 15 offices in the United States and Europe to deliver expertise-driven design. For more information, visit http://eypaedesign.com/.