Children’s of Alabama opens Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children
Children’s of Alabama, the first freestanding pediatric hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, has opened the $400 million Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children (BRHFC) on 4 August 2012.
Located at 1601 5th Avenue South, Birmingham, the new BRHFC is a 12-storey building, which encompasses a total area of 760,000 square feet. The scheme has been designed by HKS Incorporated, in partnership with Giattina Aycock Studio. It is the largest single medical facility expansion project in the history of Alabama, and will make Children’s the third-largest pediatric hospital in the US, as measured by square footage.
BRHFC accommodates private, acute care rooms that are 30% larger than the largest rooms in the existing facility. The rooms are complete with a sleeper sofa, large wardrobe and small safe, as well as a special patient education/entertainment system.
The hospital has a family-focused design. To render this, each patient floor includes a laundry room and a kitchen equipped with a full-size refrigerator, microwave and ice machine. The sunlit waiting areas are located at the end of the hallways and offer views of the city. The public areas are adorned with 120 pieces of artworks by Alabama artists, which add to the family-friendly environment of the hospital.
The Benjamin Russell Hospital for Children incorporated advanced technology and environmentally sustainable practices. It has a curvilinear design, which is punctuated by the use of opaque glass. The design of the building is punctuated with colours interspersed throughout the interior and exterior spaces, which creates a visual delight.
The orientation of the bed tower offers views of the central business district and Red Mountain, while the lobby and plaza form a visual tie to the 17th Street corridor of Birmingham. The patient floors and rooms have their own distinct colour notation and theme, which gives a unique identity to each level.
The hospital has incorporated several visual cues as the signage. A case in point is a blue curving pattern within the terrazzo floors that winds through the public areas, which directs to and from entrances, elevators and patient care areas.
With the development of the new facility, the hospital's accommodation capacity has increased to reach 332 beds and 48 neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) bassinets. Poised to be the first LEED-certified hospital in Alabama, it incorporates several sustainable features, which include use of sustainable, energy-efficient and environmentally responsible materials.
The building has a rooftop garden featuring native sedum that provides insulation and oxygenation. It has a system to collect up to 30,000 gallons of condensate from the air conditioning system, which is then used for irrigation and also to cool equipment. To increase the green credentials of the building, the space also includes designated green areas and 140 bicycle racks. Attention has also been paid to the orientation of the building.
Construction services for the facility were provided by Hoar Construction, in partnership with KBR. The building is named in honour of legendary Alabama entrepreneur Benjamin Russell (1876-1941) and to recognize the $25 million gift from his grandson, Ben Russell and Ben’s wife Luanne, both longtime hospital supporters.
