LeChase serving as construction manager for $145 million UR Medicine's Golisano Children's Hospital - 245,000 s/f

In October of 2012, the construction site of UR Medicine's Golisano Children's Hospital consisted of a large hole and mounds of dirt. Now, two years later, an almost fully enclosed building stands in that space, symbolizing expert medical care and hope for the more than 74,000 patients and families it will serve across the 17-county Finger Lakes region and beyond. The children's hospital is expected to open in late summer of 2015. The new $145 million tower, located on Crittenden Blvd. and attached to the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and Strong Memorial Hospital, will be eight floors and 245,000 s/f of space dedicated to children and their families. The building was designed by Ballinger Architects, a Philadelphia-based firm that specializes in health care facilities. Construction manager LeChase Construction, LLC, is overseeing the project. The first phase of construction plan will build eight floors, and outfit all but two. The second phase, which is projected to be completed in 2016/2017, includes moving the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Cardiac Care Center and Pediatric Operating Suite into the new building. The invaluable Ronald McDonald House within the hospital, currently on the fifth floor of Strong Memorial Hospital, will also be incorporated into the new building in a later phase. When the new hospital opens, 56 general care beds and an expanded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), expected to be made up of 60 beds, will provide families with much-needed privacy and will enhance infection control efforts. Two floors of the building will be dedicated to medical and surgical care and the ground floor will be devoted to Pediatric Imaging Services, with a new PET/MRI suite. The future interior of the hospital, including graphic elements, interactive games, décor, art and architectural features, will showcase the many beautiful landscapes of upstate N.Y. Each floor will have a different theme, starting with lakes and waterways on the ground floor and ending with towns and cities on the eighth level. The theme will also play a large role in each floor's different interactive activities, from bubble tubes to projected floor games. The new hospital will fully embrace the need for play and normalcy with a toddler playroom and a new two-story playdeck on the seventh and eighth floors, surrounded by captivating windows that will provide patients and families with a great view. "With every day, the dream of a new children's hospital, devoted solely to helping sick and injured children, is becoming more of a reality," said Elizabeth Lattimore, administrative director for clinical services at UR Medicine's Golisano Children's Hospital. "We still have a lot of work to do before we open our doors, but we can't wait to share it with the region and are excited for the hope and miracles it will bring children and families well into the future. I think I speak for all involved when I say it has been truly a privilege to be part of this historic project and one that will have such an extraordinary impact on our community for generations to come."