RKT&B completes $28 million project for the N.Y. Methodist Hospital's infill building

The New York Methodist Hospital's "infill" building, a new 80,000 s/f, seven-story addition, is complete, according to Bernie Rothzeid, FAIA, founder and CEO of RKT&B Architects, the project's architect. The addition, which connects to three existing buildings in the Park Slope hospital complex, was designed to integrate harmoniously into the neighborhood's predominantly brownstone architecture. Housed within the new building are a 23,000 s/f emergency department on the ground floor, a floor dedicated to cardiac surgery and support, and a pediatrics wing on another that contains 15 private rooms and a 5-room pediatric intensive care unit. The remaining four floors house medical/surgical beds. The total cost of the project was $28 million. "When it comes to space, New Yorkers make the most of what's available," said Rothzeid. "This situation is no different. N.Y. Methodist had no spare land, so it made sense to raze a small, outmoded building and use an infill method to resolve the hospital's space problems. "The sensible solution isn't always the easiest one, however," said Rothzeid. "In this case, we had to make sure that the work could be completed without interruption of normal hospital activities. Working closely with management made it possible."