Located on Crittenden Boulevard, the new building is attached to the Medical Center and Strong Memorial Hospital. The eight level hospital will have an approximate area of 245,000 square feet. The hospital will have 52 private, patient rooms, a large Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and other buffer spaces designed to meet the needs of children and their families. The hospital will also have a new hospitality suite, which will be available for the family members of the young patients for shower, cooking and laundry.
The interiors of the space will don graphic elements, décor, art and other architectural features that will hint of landscapes of upstate New York. To demarcate the level, a theme approach with unique icon will be incorporated for every level, which will be based on waterways, meadows, gardens and parks. The theme will create creative opportunities, which is likely to engage children of all ages in interactive ways. A case-in-point is the Lake floor tubes in a wall, which will cause bubbles to rise at the press of a button. On the Park floor, glass in patient rooms may be frosted with leaves that will cast shadows along the floor with a linoleum park path in it.
The facility is scheduled for opening in 2015. The project is being financed through a combination of equity, loans and a comprehensive fundraising effort. LeChase Construction, LLC, will oversee the three-year project, which will create 1,066 construction jobs.
