Worcester, MA – RDK joined forces with Payette Architects and Consigli Construction and provided outstanding MEP/FP design services for a new state-of-the-art ambulatory care center on the UMass Medical School’s campus.
At the official ribbon cutting ceremony that RDK Engineers attended last week, music from U2 and Coldplay piped through the crowded room during a poignant video in which doctors, nurses and members of the ACC staff explained what it is like to drive into work every day and have the privilege of caring for patients in a facility that is truly “patient-centered.” One of the highlights of the ceremony was a speech given by a patient currently being treated at the ACC, who spoke about the lighting, the warmth, and the overall “feel” of the building as factors that have made her cancer treatment
there bearable.
Surgeons and staff alike described the ACC as a place that transforms the way in which they are able to deliver patient care. It is a place where research, teaching, and outstanding patient care join together and flourish. Patients walk in and see the technologically superior “Conquering Diseases Clinical Research Center” and want to sign up for clinical trials. The architects and engineers who worked on the ACC designed infusion bays in which patients receive their medicine for diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses while looking at a splendid view of the nearby Quinsigamond Lake.
The nine-story 258,000 SF facility welcomes more than 183,000 patients per year and includes the following key features:
• Maximum daylight reaching interior spaces
• Lighting controlled by occupancy sensors to reduce power use
• Energy-efficient heating and cooling systems
• Recycled materials included in carpet, rubber floors, ceiling tiles, and countertops
“We were honored to work with Payette and Consigli on a facility that was designed and built with the comfort and care of both the patients and hospital staff at the forefront of every decision,” said Mitsu Koshima, RDK Group Leader on the ACC project, “When we attended the ribbon-cutting and heard directly from the patients, doctors, and medical teams who spend their days inside of this facility, we were delighted to hear that our efforts helped create an ideal space that meets
their needs.”