Designs For a New Saint Anthony Hospital Is Underway
Saint Anthony Hospital and HDR kicked-off the programming phase
for a new state-of-the-future community hospital
CHICAGO – Last week HDR with partner Architrave Limited met with Saint Anthony Hospital leaders and department heads to kick off the programming for a new hospital that will be anchoring the Focal Point Community Campus at 31st and Kedzie. The cornerstone of the new design is innovation.
Architectural programming includes the collaboration of industry experts, medical professionals, and current hospital staff, to produce a refined definition of the future hospital operations, related space requirements, room sizes, department adjacencies, flow, equipment requirements, and staffing. The new hospital will be designed to improve quality outcomes and patient experience, while also reducing costs. Saint Anthony also wants to maintain the welcoming and family-centric feel of a community hospital.
HDR has been connected to the campus project from the beginning. They are a global engineering and architecture firm with over 200 offices around the world, with award-winning designs in health care and science and technology, spearheading innovative concepts for major institutions ranging from The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago and The Pavilion at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia to many others around the world, including a new Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi.
“In my 30 years of practicing architecture in Chicago, Focal Point Community Campus will be the first 30-acre industrial parcel with long-term strategies for economic, social, and environmental sustainability that are embedded in the design of a mixed-use healthcare campus,” said Grace Rappe, AIA, LEED AP, managing principal, HDR, Chicago architecture studio. “The approach we are proposing utilizes regenerative design thinking to welcome innovative partners committed to serving the community.”
Approximately half a million Chicagoans live in the area that will be served by the new hospital, part of the larger campus which will ultimately provide services ranging from early childhood to education and affordable housing to workforce development.
“This project underscores what happens when groundbreaking research at the community level, user-centered design and an innovative financial model work together to drive transformative change,” said Tom Trenolone, FAIA, AIA, LEED AP, design director at HDR. “This project has been designed to promote health, wellness and education while improving the urban setting and social opportunities in a community.”
“The vision for this hospital has been in the works for almost 12 years,” said Guy A. Medaglia, Saint Anthony Hospital President and CEO. “We never gave up fighting for the hospital and the campus. This new state-of-the-future hospital will be more than anyone would expect for a community hospital in the underserved southwest side of Chicago, but it will be what our community needs and able to provide the health care this community deserves.”
Demolition on the campus site is complete with the next phase being land remediation. Completion of the hospital is expected early 2026.
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