Page 39 - CCD Magazine-Spring 2019

interests will be achieved by placing the garage entrance and exit on Cook Street just north of 1st Avenue and also exiting vehicles through the alley back to 1st.
Accounting for parking wasn’t
the only challenge posed on the project. The building’s oncology center will include a linear accelerator, a large device
used to destroy cancer cells by bombarding a tumor with high radio-frequency electromagnetic rays. As heavy as it is complicated, the equipment and the associated protective vault typically weigh approximately two million pounds. It’s so heavy that placement
must be accounted for in the building’s structural engineering. Fortunately, an equipment vendor that segments the encasement components into high-density blocks was identified. Bringing the vault into the building in pieces rather than using cast-in-place concrete, shaved approximately
six weeks off the construction schedule. “The owner’s equipment drives every decision,” says Holajter. “Through teamwork, the client, architect, and contractor continually engage to understand the project’s complexities related to structural and electrical loading, gases, ventilation and other fine grain details that affect constructability, placement,
and costs.”
With UCHealth invested as a long- term tenant, its input in design helped refine material choices, finishes, and aesthetic elements. Fundamentally, progressive thinking in healthcare and the architecture that supports it strive to break away from the institutionally oppressive
ambiance of last century’s hospitals and moves toward a feeling that’s a little closer to home for patients and visitors.
“We are incorporating a variety
of furnishings in warm carpeted areas, soothing tones, and natural light to reduce the intensity and stress often associated with healthcare,” says Levy. UCHealth’s expectation is that the new
Cherry Creek Medical Center will enhance the patient’s experience and healthcare results in an innovative environment. “All of the choices made on this project have been carefully considered, from
the façade to the fixtures,” finishes Levy. “And that’s because, in this line of work, everything matters.”
“Transitioning patients from a conditioned fear of healthcare is a benefit of progressive design.”
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