LEED targeted building doubles emergency care capacity

UPMC East Emergency Department Expansion

Responding to incredible growth in the number of patients treated at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) East, a two-story addition and renovation would double the size of the existing emergency department (ED), expand support services, and provide future shell space for surgery expansion.

Our team designed a new six-bay, column-free ambulance canopy and parking area, 22 new ED treatment rooms, two trauma rooms, and ten observation beds. Future surgery demand called for expansion of the existing sterile processing area, and we also incorporated second floor shell space for eight new operating rooms and support space. We designed the layout to support patient-focused care, including natural daylight to treatment rooms, e-glass for patient privacy, a soothing interior finish color palette, and decentralized nurse stations to strengthen patient to staff connections. Our design of the addition also mitigates noise, vibration, and fumes from the adjacent helipad.

This project was constructed in multiple phases to allow the existing emergency department, sterile processing, and surgery department to remain operational during construction.