by
Amanda Doreson, Project Manager | March 19, 2007
A new inpatient facility joins Methodist
Hospital Research Institute (shown)
as new additions to the Texas system
The Methodist Hospital System plans one of the Texas Medical Center's largest building expansions ever for inpatient services.
The new North Campus, which will be located at the corner of John Freeman Blvd. and Bertner Ave., will include up to 700 beds in potentially 1.5 million square feet of space for inpatient care. The beds will ultimately provide for the replacement of older facilities and eventual hospital growth.
A nationally recognized architectural team has been selected for the North Campus project. Architectural firm WHR will serve as executive architect and Ellerbe Becket will provide programming and medical planning design. Kohn Pederson Fox Architects will design exterior and public spaces. These firms have won numerous national awards and designed such projects as Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
"Across our hospital system, there is a great need for expanded services to meet the growing need in our community for medical care," said Dr. Marc Boom, executive vice president of Methodist. "Our hospitals are at capacity, and this expansion will make it easier for patients to schedule their procedures and receive timely, high quality care. We look forward to serving our community even more in coming years."
In addition to inpatient beds, Methodist's North Campus will be home to the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center, Methodist Neurological Institute and a new Emergency Department, as well other related diagnostic and therapy services.
Other construction under way in the medical center includes the 1.5 million square foot Methodist Outpatient Center, located on Fannin Street next to Smith Tower, and The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, which will house 420,000 square feet of research space, located on Bertner Circle, east of Methodist's Main Building. Both buildings are expected to open in late 2009.
Also, Methodist Willowbrook Hospital and Methodist Sugar Land Hospital are undergoing expansions, increasing their capacity to serve their communities better.
