Charlestown, Ma – Construction manager Wise Corporation, of Winchester, joined officials of the MGH Institute of Health Professions (IHP) recently to celebrate the opening of a new 20,000 square foot-addition at the Institute’s facility in Charlestown’s historic Navy Yard.
The addition houses new and expanded physical therapy laboratories, a 104- seat active learning classroom with advanced technology, an open design cafeteria with floor to ceiling glass windows overlooking Boston Harbor and the U.S.S. Constitution, and a collaborative learning classroom that enables students to work together on real or simulated case studies.
A few specifics on the new facility:
• Interactive classrooms with state-of-the-art technology are designed to provide a small group experience where students in nursing, physical therapy and speech language pathology can easily share information. Each station is equipped with a 42-inch video monitor that facilitates information sharing with the group or entire
class.
• Physical therapy labs are equipped with six digital cameras that simultaneously broadcast on several large display screens so students can review their work. This interactive approach helps prepare students to function as members of
interprofessional teams in the clinical setting. Two new physical therapy labs include wireless microphone systems for improved faculty instruction.
Proximity to a fully occupied office space and its location across from the 200-year-old U.S.S. Constitution added challenges for the Wise project team. “We had to integrate this new building into the campus environment by creating walkways, installing underground infrastructure for IT connectivity and construct architectural elements like the wood ceilings, to evoke a consistency with the Institute’s existing naval yard building, architecture, and historic setting,” said Bill Olson, Wise project manager. “Because it was a fast track project, giving us only 16 weeks from start of demolition to the first day of class, we spent a lot of time up front during preconstruction working on constructability issues, logistics and procurement of long lead-time items.”
Wise Construction’s project team completed a number of renovations at the Institute the previous year to assure interactive learning environments throughout the entire facility. These included:
• Speech Language Pathology classrooms were outfitted with video and audi equipment in every treatment room. Faculty can watch students work with actual clients in real time. Sessions are automatically burned onto a DVD, allowing
students immediate access to review and critique their interactions with clients.
• Classrooms and instructional labs were equipped with multimedia presentation resources. Three of the nine classrooms are “smart rooms” with these resources. All remaining classrooms and labs are equipped with mobile multimedia presentation carts to provide flexible learning spaces.
The new educational facility is part of the Institute’s strategic plan for creating an innovative and inviting learning environment. “This new space is unlike any educational space that preceded it at the Institute,” said Institute President Janis P. Bellack, Ph.D. “Not only does it offer the most advanced educational technology to support teaching and learning, it has created aesthetically pleasing surroundings in which to teach.
The MGH IHP is an innovative interprofessional graduate school that prepares skilled healthcare specialists in communication sciences and disorders, medical imaging, physical therapy, and nursing. “We are pleased to be the construction manager for such a pivotal project for the Institute,” said John Wise, president of Wise Construction.
Wise Construction is a highly regarded construction management company specializing in restoration and renovation projects for clients in the healthcare, education, biotechnology and corporate sectors throughout the Greater Boston area. More than 90 percent of the company’s projects are completed in highly sensitive, occupied spaces. Known for its exceptionally high level of client service, Wise excels in complex renovation projects, including challenging laboratory and research areas.