The design team responsible for Philadelphia-based Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania's $1.5 billion pavilion has changed its plans for the layout and shape of the building, according to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Construction for the pavilion began in 2017 and is expected to be completed in 2021. Upon completion, it will have 17 stories and house inpatient heart and vascular care, neurosurgery, the Abramson Cancer Center and an emergency department. While the previous floor plan included two, 32-bed units per patient floor, with a central public elevator in between, the new plan will feature three 24-bed units separated by two elevators.
Instead of having opposite rooms facing each other as mirror images, the rooms will all face the same way in the new plan, which will make room conversion easier.
"At any time, very easily, a medical-surgical bed room can be made to an ICU room or vice versa," said Kathryn Gallagher, Penn Medicine clinical liaison.
The new design came after 650 clinical and nonclinical employees gave feedback during a full-size simulation at a local warehouse.
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