Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, New Jersey

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center has undergone a multiphase renovation in Newark, N.J. The final phase was completed  this month and creates a dynamic hub blending culture, commerce, recreation, and healthcare.

Owner RWJBarnabas Health (West Orange, N.J.) collaborated with architecture, design, and planning firm FCA (Philadelphia) on the project, which began construction in 2022.

The project includes an 80,200-square-foot renovation that expands departments on each floor, a 55,900-square-foot lobby addition which opened in 2023, and a 24,300-square-foot extension to the emergency department (ED), which opened in 2022. Additional areas will be opening through 2024 including the pediatric ED, new operating rooms and surgical support, and the new radiology waiting area.

The project is designed to enhance connectivity with adjacent residential areas and the urban environment through a series of new streetscape experiences, civic gateways, and public spaces. The streetscape improvements are located along Lyons Avenue and Osbourne Terrace and include new colored and stamped concrete paving, small “pocket parks” with bench seating, lighting, and landscaping along Lyons Avenue.

On Osbourne Terrace similar paving improvements, a new traffic circle, and landscaping within weathering steel planters are provided to improve the drop-off and pickup of patients and to make for a safer pedestrian experience. The main entrances at Lyons and Osbourne Terrace have also been completely reimagined with new revamped lobbies that exude transparency and openness. All of these updates lend to a more cohesive relationship between the institution and the surrounding area.

Updated exterior and interior design elements

Reimagined architectural elements, including an updated entry experience with expanded street access, catalyze engagement within the community. Expansive glass windows offer interior views, promoting interaction. A double-height lobby with custom lighting and a structural glass curtain wall increases transparency, providing an inviting beacon for local residents.

Updated emergency and surgical departments, alongside a new state-of-the-art critical care unit (CCU), boost the facility’s overall capacity.

Interiors feature a neutral palette of white, gray, and beige colors and warm wood tones throughout. Subtle pops of blue are used to highlighting key locations in the ED, CCU, and diagnostic imaging suites.

Landscape additions on campus

Pocket gardens and integrated plazas augment the pedestrian experience, creating activated spaces that seamlessly integrate within existing infrastructure and connect people to nature. Strategic lighting allows for nighttime accessibility, fostering a calming ambiance with improved security.

 

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, New Jersey, project details

Location: Newark, N.J.

Completion date: April 2024

Owner: RWJBarnabas Health

Total building area: 80,200 sq. ft., (addition, 24,300 sq. ft.; renovation, 55,900 sq. ft.)

Total construction cost: Not disclosed

Cost/sq. ft.: Not disclosed

Architect: FCA

Interior designer: FCA

General contractor: Turner Construction

Engineers: AKF (MEP), Thornton Tomasetti (structural)

Builder: Turner Construction

Medical equipment planner: FCA

Carpet/flooring: Carpet- Interface, Rubber Tile-Mannington, LVT-Armstrong

Ceiling/wall systems: Ceiling-Armstrong, SkyAcoustics, Wall-Sensitile, Crossville, Inpro, Forms & Surfaces, Lumicor

Doors/locks/hardware: Hardware: McKinney, Corbin Russwin, Rockwood, Norton, Von Duprin, Rixson, HES, Pemko; Doors: Securitron, Acrovyn Doors Masonite, Assa Abloy, Dorma

Fabric/textiles: Designtex, Maharam, Concertex, Brentano, Maharam, Knoll, Wolf Gordon

Furniture—seating/casegoods: OFS, Coalesse, Herman Miller, Davis, Bernhardt Design, Krug, Gunlocke, Arcadia, Geiger, ERG, Nevins, SitOnIt, Beachley, Nemschoff, Stance, Carolina

Handrails/wall guards: Construction Specialties

Headwalls/booms: Custom headwalls-Inpro, Corian

Lighting: Finelite, Prudential, Philips Lightolier, USAI, Boyd, Visa, Oxygen, Juno, Kenall, DRE

Surfaces—solid/other: Corian

Wallcoverings: Carnegie, Versa, Maharam

Other: Mechoshade

Project details are provided by the design team and not vetted by Healthcare Design.