Project category: New construction & Remodel/Renovation (completed February 2004)

Chief administrator: Nancy Wollen, Executive Director, (732) 557-8050

Firm: Granary Associates, (215) 665-7055

Design team: Michael Arnold, AIA, Principal-in-Charge; Collin Beers, AIA, Senior Healthcare Planner; Amir Amin, AIA, Project Architect; Heather Kelly, Designer

Photography: © Tom Crane Photography

Total building area (sq. ft.): 20,500 (new); 24,000 (renovation)

Construction cost/sq. ft.: $315 (new/renovation)

Total construction cost (excluding land): $14,000,000 (new/renovation)


The 20,500-sq.-ft. vertical expansion of the Obstetrics Department at Community Medical Center in Toms River, New Jersey, consists of 27 private postpartum rooms, complete with private baths and showers, on the fifth floor. The 24,000-sq.-ft. renovation includes 8 Labor/Delivery/Recovery (LDR) rooms with whirlpool tubs, 2 C-Section rooms, 2 Recovery Bays, 4 Triage rooms, 27 bassinets, and a Special Care Nursery.

In the relaxed, homelike atmosphere of the Medical Center’s specially designed LDR rooms, the facility offers a family-centered approach to childbirth. The beautifully designed birthing rooms are fully equipped with modern birthing beds, advanced maternal and fetal monitoring technology, and emergency equipment to ensure the utmost in safety for mother and baby.

After delivery, the extraordinary level of maternity care continues. New moms have an opportunity to rest and recuperate in a beautiful postpartum room, complete with private bath and shower, under the expert care and guidance of the facility’s experienced team of obstetrical nurses.


Included in the renovations are 3 normal Newborn Nurseries that house 8, 11, and 8 bassinets each. Full visualization by staff, as well as an extensive public-viewing gallery is provided. In addition to the Newborn Nursery, the Medical Center maintains a Level II Special Care Nursery for premature newborns born at 32 weeks or greater and newborns in need of specialized medical treatment. A neonatologist available 24 hours a day and a highly skilled team of neonatal nurses provide comprehensive expert medical care using the latest technology.