Plans Unveiled for New Southern Arizona Children’s Research Hospital
December 12, 2007
At a formal ceremony held on November 28 in Tucson, Arizona, University Medical Center unveiled plans for their new Diamond Children’s Medical Center, which is scheduled to begin construction in the spring of 2008. Designed by NTD Architecture, the $55 million facility is part of the main hospital’s $200 million expansion, but will feature a separate children’s entrance and lobby in addition to a 24/7 Pediatric Emergency Room. “This new children’s hospital is a wonderful gift for the Southern Arizona region,” says Stephen Stokes, Principal of NTD Architecture and Designer of the medical center. “With the growth that Tucson and surrounding cities have seen over the years, it is imperative that the healthcare market keep up with the demands of the population, and this addition will help to do just that.” At 100,000 square feet and 116 beds, Diamond Children’s Medical Center will be the destination children’s hospital for Southern Arizona. Additionally, as the only children’s hospital in the state that is connected to an academic research center, the new facility will offer the benefits of the latest and most innovative research practices. In an effort to appeal to a broad range of children ranging in age from newborn to eighteen, NTD worked with Studio Productions to create an age-adaptable design that will be both interactive and educational. An Arizona theme touches on elements that are specific to the state, embracing motifs of mining, the Grand Canyon, archaeology, astronomy, gems and minerals, hot air ballooning, plant life, and wildlife. A “Starry Night” ceiling, complete with astrological constellations, will be viewable by the naked eye and through a telescope. Additional thematic elements will include a dinosaur wall, a train depot kidhouse, a moving model train, and an Aspen tree forest. Elevator graphics dedicated to themes of landscaping, plants, animals, and mountains will set the tone for each floor. The new Diamond Children’s Medical Center will feature a 36-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), a 36-room Medical/Surgical unit, a 20-room Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) with six flex beds, a 12-room Hematology/Oncology unit, and a 6-room Bone Marrow Transplantation unit. Both the NICU and Medical/Surgical unit have been designed to accommodate future growth. Each private room in the facility will include a bathroom with a shower, a bed for parents to sleep in, and wireless Internet access, while each floor will feature a children’s playroom. Additional attributes to be included in the medical center will be a teen activity room that will convert to a lounge in the evening, the Ronald McDonald Family Room complete with a washer and dryer, a library where children will be able to receive tutoring and catch up on homework, a stage for performances, concerts, graduations, and parties, a meditation room, a healing garden, and a gift shop. Diamond Children’s Medical Center is named for altruists Donald and Joan Diamond whose significant contribution helped make the construction of the new medical center possible. The team assigned to the project includes NTD Architecture for architecture, engineering, and interior design services, Kitchell Corporation for construction, Studio Productions for theming design, and The Innova Group for project management. The new medical center will be located at 1501 N. Campbell Avenue in Tucson, Arizona. Construction is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2010.
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