• Home
• Completed Projects
• Current and Future Projects
• News & Updates
• Vertical Expansion Newsletter
• Timelines
• Parking
• Construction Web Cams

Current and Future Projects

Project: Vertical Expansion and Children's Hospital

This computer illustration illustrates the six-story vertical expansion. Follow the indepth coverage of one of University Hospital's most dramatic construction projects in Movin' Up, the monthly online Vertical Expansion newsletter.

Design plans for Children’s Hospital unveiled

Design, inspired by a child’s tree house, offers special amenities

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Families, patients and visitors to the Central New York Children’s Hospital at University Hospital will ascend in an elevator 80-feet to a “tree house” that will serve as the special entrance to the Central New York Children’s Hospital.  Once inside, families, patients and visitors will find a state-of-the-art patient care facility with extra special amenities, including a teen lounge, performance center, cafés, a family resource room and an indoor park. 

These highlights are included in the final design plans for University Hospital’s $99 million six-story vertical expansion, which, in addition to the two floors dedicated the children’s hospital, features patient care floors for cardiovascular, neurology and oncology services.  The project’s architect, Karlsberger Companies, presented the final design plans last week. King and King Archtects of Manlius is the project's associate architect.

“The proposed design of our vertical expansion brings to Central New York a health care facility that will enhance and enrich the care of patients and provide their families with a welcoming and warm environment,” said Ben Moore, vice president for hospital operations and executive director of University Hospital.

The most unique feature of the children’s hospital design is what architects call the ‘tree house,’ which will serve as the entrance to the children’s hospital.  Patients, families and visitors will enter a ground-level reception area and then proceed to an elevator that will carry them eight stories to the 11^th floor, the first floor of the children’s hospital.  Upon exiting the elevator, patients and families will step out to large area featuring a café, lounges, play areas, a gift shop and ample seating areas for relaxing away from the patient’s bedside.

In addition to more dining space, the 12^th or top floor of the children’s hospital will feature an indoor park, with significant plantings, park benches and other features.

“The environment we are building here will be extremely family-centered,” said Thomas Welch, M.D., chairman of the Department of Pediatrics.

 “This will be a place that families can comfortably gather and be with their child throughout his or her hospitalization.”

While the tree house entrance of the children’s hospital may be the most talked about feature, the vertical expansion will offer significant upgrades to patient care areas.

The children’s hospital will feature 50 private patient rooms with enough space for a pullout sofa or bed to accommodate parents who want to stay the night in their child’s room.  There will also be separate family sleep quarters on the 11^th floor of the children’s hospital.  Nursing stations will be located between each room to put nurses in closer proximity to patients when not providing patient care.  A 15-bed pediatric intensive care unit will be located on the 12^th floor.  Even the lighting specifications have been redesigned to provide patients with warmer, more natural light to replace the glow of fluorescent fixtures.

Other design highlights of the children’s hospital include: a pediatric chapel or meditation space, breast-feeding rooms, family shower area, age appropriate play spaces, family activity rooms, and private conference and consult rooms to accommodate physician and family discussions.

A family resource center will serve as a library or learning center where families can go to get more information on their child’s illness and research other issues.  The center will also make available to families and patients, videos, DVDs, games and other items, such as light reading materials.

Discussion over the design began earlier this year and included input from various groups and individuals, including parents and patients.

Sue Navagh, a member of the Parent Advisory Council at University Hospital, who participated in numerous design meetings, said the final design will please families.  “Many of the needs and desires that families have regarding family-centered medical care have been incorporated in this design plan, such as sleeping rooms and family resource centers,” she said.  “Hospital administrators and the architects have listened carefully to the needs of the families, and the design reflects that.”

The two-story children’s hospital will increase the amount of dedicated space to pediatric medicine at University Hospital from 18,000 square feet to 87,000.

Each of the other floors of the vertical expansion, which are earmarked for cardiovascular, oncology and neurosurgery, will feature 46 private patient rooms and space to accommodate an overnight stay by a family member.  Some special care areas, such as the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, will feature anterooms to guard against infection. One floor will be used to house the heating, ventilating and air-cooling systems.

Construction on the project is expected to begin in Spring 2005, with an opening date set for December 2007.

Total cost of the project is $99 million. University Hospital received the authority to finance the construction through bonding earlier this year when governor and the legislature approved bonding legislation.  Funds for the children’s hospital are being raised through a community-wide fundraising campaign. Officials have raised $9.2 million toward the $15 million campaign goal.  The children’s hospital campaign will pay for upgrades to the children’s hospital, such as the special entrance, endowed research professorships and to help furnish and equip the hospital.

The public will have a chance to see the final design plans for the Central New York Children's Hospital at the New York State Fair Aug. 26 through Sept. 6.  Plans will be on display at the children's hospital booth located in the Science and Industry Building.

Project: Parking Garage West

SUNY Upstate Medical University will soon enter phase 2 of its parking enhancement plan with the construction of a new $31 million, 1,400-space parking garage located at the corner of Sarah Loguen and E. Adams Streets.  The construction of the new four-story parking facility is expected to begin in late May with the demolition of what is commonly referred to as the "old" parking garage.  The new parking facility is expected to open in November 2008.

The old parking garage has been a vital part of the university's parking facilities, providing daily parking for about 2,000 employees, representing a variety of positions through the university.

"Replacing this parking garage has always been part of our planning," said Dick O'Shea, assistant vice president for management and head of the university's parking committee.  "It has outlived its usefulness and must be taken down so we can begin construction of our new parking facility."

O'Shea said that funding for the new garage and all building approvals have been secured so the project is ready to move forward.  The demolition of the old parking garage will likely begin in late May.

The closure and demolition of old parking garage will require alternate parking arrangements to be made for employees and students who currently park in the garage and in other outlying parking lots.  Various alternatives are being considered to provide employees and students with help in getting to work.  Arrangements include:

• discounted Centro bus express service from designated Park ‘n Ride locations as well as discounted Centro monthly passes for travel throughout Centro's service area.
• free parking and free shuttle service from Alliance Stadium to the front door of the hospital.
• reduced rate parking opportunities at R, J and I parking lots as well as the availability of space in a new lot, at the Syracuse Housing Authority, with expanded shuttle service to the front door of the hospital.

Employees who currently have parking assignments in the East Parking Garage will not be affected by the demolition of the old parking garage.

"We looked at every possible way to keep employees and students as close to campus as possible," O'Shea said. "Because of future construction projects on and around campus, no other parking facilities were able to give us a commitment like Alliance Bank Stadium and Syracuse Housing Authority.  We wanted to be sure that during the course of the parking garage construction, we would not have to change employee and student parking arrangements again."

O'Shea said the university will be making its best effort to limit the impact this project has on all members of the SUNY Upstate community.  "We have received some excellent input from our employees about ways we can make this arrangement a successful partnership," he said.

This month, the Parking Office will begin reviewing parking and transportation alternatives with employees whose parking arrangements will be affected by the demolition of the parking garage.  Employees will receive an email from the Parking Office or a phone call outlining the parking alternatives.

The availability of parking options for employees may differ and will be determined by a variety of factors, including work hours or shift, job responsibilities and hire date. 

Employees or students with specific questions about the parking alternatives should contact the Parking Hotline at 464-4801, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Individuals may also send their questions to a special email address: parking@upstate.edu. 

During demolition and construction of the new parking facility, parking closest to campus will be made a priority for patients and visitors.