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Paula and Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III Tower
©2018 Chuck Choi
A welcoming patient and visitor entrance.
©2018 Chuck Choi
The public space provides access to light and views of the courtyards.
©2018 Chuck Choi
The iconic boomerang shape was developed as response to the site.
©2018 Chuck Choi
The new high-tech ORs dramatically expand the hospital’s ability to provide image-guided heart and brain procedures.
©2018 Chuck Choi
The new tower features the capacity for 390 patient rooms, including 102 ICU beds.
©2018 Chuck Choi
The historic mural, “Extending Arms of Christ” mosaic, anchors the light filled atrium.
©2018 Chuck Choi
A juxtaposition of glass with series of precast planes.
Connie Anderson Photography
The VIP suites provide a homelike atmosphere and provided space supports visitation of family and others.
Connie Anderson Photography
The VIP suites feature adjacent family and collaborative space within the patient room.
FINALIST – 2019 Healthcare Design Showcase
The 957,705-square-foot Paula and Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III Tower recently opened for patient services on the Houston Methodist campus in the Texas Medical Center (TMC). The 22-story tower—with capacity for 366 private, inpatient beds—connects to existing, adjacent buildings on multiple levels to allow for integration of care and operations between buildings. The Walter Tower is an integral piece of the Campus Master Plan that replaces patient beds in Houston Methodist Hospital’s Main Building and expands and advances the Hospital’s neurosurgical and cardiovascular surgical capabilities at its flagship campus in the TMC. The tower is home to the nationally-ranked Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center and Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, which is designed to transform clinical care for the future and serves as the new standard for similar facilities around the country.
The heart of the hospital is its sophisticated neurosurgery and cardiovascular surgical suites specially designed for highly technical and minimally invasive image-guided heart and brain procedures. They are among the most technologically advanced operating rooms to be found anywhere. Additionally, it has two intensive care and six acute care floors, as well as a helipad, to increase the speed at which patients in need receive life-saving treatments. Four hybrid operating rooms combine robotic-assisted technology with imaging capabilities during surgery.
Speed-to-market was critical because the hospital set an ambitious goal of completing the nearly one million-square-foot project in four and a half years. A collaborative design process and innovative construction methodologies ensured a successful project.
Project category: New construction
Chief administrator: Sidney J. Sanders, senior vice president for construction, facilities design & real estate, Houston Methodist
Firms: EYP, www.eypae.com; AECOM Hunt, www.aecom.com/aecom-hunt; AEI, www.aeieng.com
Design team: EYP Architecture & Engineering (architect and interior designer); AECOM Hunt (general contractor); Jacobs (program manager); AEI (MEP engineer); Walter P Moore (structural and civil engineer)
Total building area (sq. ft.): 957,705
Construction cost/sq. ft.: $510 (new); $320 (renovated space)
Total construction cost (excluding land): $480 million
Completed: August 2018
