Silver Cross Hospital – 5th and 6th Floor Expansion

New Lenox, Illinois

Seeking to improve and expand its medical/surgical department, Silver Cross Hospital (SCH) retained Eckenhoff Saunders (ESA) to design two additional floors on top of its existing patient tower, resulting in 24 additional med/surg beds. As construction on the new 4-story CVOR expansion was nearing completion (also developed by ESA), SCH was ready to begin design and construction on two additional levels. ESA and our consultants worked with SCH to create multiple packages to facilitate a rapid construction process. ESA broke down the project into a structural steel package, core and shell with MEP package, and an interior build-out package. This phasing allowed key construction activities to get underway while the rest of the components were still being designed.

The program for the two additional levels includes (12) Rehab Inpatient Rooms on Level 5 and (12) Inpatient Rooms on Level 6 and all necessary support spaces. Both units are located adjacent to existing units and serve as extensions of the services on these floors. The design intent of the new addition reproduces the current patient room layouts to familiarize SCH staff and improve patient treatment. ESA also worked with the user groups of each floor to identify areas of improvement that our team could implement into the new design, including more accessible patient sinks, flooring changes, and patient lift locations.