David H. Koch Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital | Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects LLP

At the NewYork-Presbyterian David H. Koch Center, patients receive integrated care and undergo complex procedures on an outpatient basis. The facility’s primary services include outpatient surgery, endoscopy, interventional radiology, diagnostic imaging, radiation oncology, infusion, and digestive disease treatments. With a focus on the human experience, the program provides a comprehensive suite of services for patients in a contemporary and soothing environment.

Rethinking The Future Awards 2020
Second Award | Institutional (Built)

Project Name: David H. Koch Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Studio Name: Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
Design Team: Architect: HOK; Medical Architect: Ballinger; Consulting Architect for building envelope and lobby: Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
Area: 734,000 ft² / 68,000 m² gross area
Year: Opened 2018; fit-out of upper levels: Hospital for Women and Newborns is ongoing
Location: New York
Consultants: Structural: Thornton Tomasetti, New York; Mechanical / Electrical / Plumbing: Syska Hennessy Group, New York
Photography Credits: Albert Vecerka/ESTO, Frank Ouderman, Halkin Mason

Curtain wall
With its wood screen and glazed facade, the center offers a warm, inviting and transparent face to the community. The first of its kind at this scale, the insertion of a wood screen into the triple-glazed assembly along with the undulating pattern gives the curtain wall its distinctive and rich architectural character.

Generous entry
Patient- and family-centered care is at the forefront of the building’s holistic design and programming. Whether entering by foot on York Avenue or via car at the drive-through drop-off, the gracious lobby provides a respite from the surrounding congested streets and sidewalks. A wood ceiling in the lobby creates a calming environment enhanced by extensive daylight and vivid artwork. The wood, stone, and natural materials throughout the interior spaces of the facility evoke comfort and ease.

Prep and recovery occur in the same room
Clinical floors continue the soothing, quiet palette of materials, including wood and stone. A typical clinical floor has a sky lobby, 12 flexible procedure rooms, and 36 private prep and recovery rooms. Prep and recovery occur in the same dedicated room, which helps minimize patient movements and provide peace of mind for the patient, family and care team.

Clear wayfinding
Circulation is clear, with a separation of “on-stage” and “off-stage” flows so patients and families can travel along the light-filled perimeter corridors with clear wayfinding, and staff can move efficiently throughout the building, minimizing disruption to guests.

Infusion and radiation oncology near natural light
Infusion and radiation oncology areas, typically found in basement areas, are co-located on the 4^th floor of the building. This allows patients and staff access to natural light, an example of the extraordinary accommodations to prioritize patient-centered care.

Flexibility to accommodate future technologies
Each floor is designed with standardized procedure rooms and patient areas, allowing for the flexible use of rooms and the ability to adapt to changing technology over time. Sections of the building envelope on the building’s north side are removable, allowing for the introduction of new medical technologies as they are developed.

Highly resilient
Critical building systems and infrastructure, that are essential to maintaining building operations during an emergency, are located above grade to protect and isolate them from hazards. The resilient building design enables the hospital to continue operations during a severe weather event or a disruption to city services, providing peace of mind to the community it serves.

Sustainably designed
Koch Center has been certified LEED Gold under the more stringent Healthcare rating system, an uncommon achievement, and New York’s first hospital to earn this distinction.