Enhancing Pediatric Care Through Resiliency

The Evolution of Seattle Children’s Hospital Infrastructure

Over the last 30 years, changes in care delivery models, advancements in technology, shifts in patient expectations, and a growing need for increased resiliency have transformed the demands on healthcare facilities. What does that mean for healthcare facility design and infrastructure? A need for flexibility, adaptability, and certainty in supporting critical patient moments.  For Seattle Children’s Hospital, a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Rehabilitation Center, that demand is even greater.

Seattle Children's Hospital. Laurelhurst, Washington. ZGF Architects © Benjamin Benschneider All rights Reserved. Usage rights may be arranged by contacting Benjamin Benschneider Photography. Email: [email protected] or phone 206-789-5973

Adapting to Modern Healthcare Demands

To keep pace with a constantly evolving industry and the growing needs of its patients, Seattle Children’s (SCH) focuses its evolution of the Laurelhurst campus on increasing flexibility, accessibility, and resilience.

A century ago, the design of most hospitals centered around a smaller volume of long-term inpatient stays and centralized care. Now, SCH treats over half a million patients annually, with nearly 200,000 visiting their main campus alone. As partners in the ongoing revitalization of the broader hospital, our firm decisions are structuring how they continue to deliver a top-tier patient experience.

The first step? A comprehensive 20-year master plan, completed in 2008, which incorporates significant departmental relocations, renovations, and new facilities to support the entire Laurelhurst campus, encompassing initiatives of all sizes.

Strategic Solutions For Future Growth

When creating hospital infrastructure, how do you ensure its ability to care for patients regardless of the circumstances? Before initiating new construction, a standard seismic analysis and a time history analysis of the entire campus painted a clear picture of both challenges and solutions ahead.

Once in place, Phase I, the Friends of Costco Building, commenced. The 330,000 SF facility houses an emergency department, intensive care unit, and cancer care centers. Unlike any other critical facility in Washington at the time, SCH chose to utilize a performance-based design method for the building following stringent California seismic criteria. It provides immediate occupancy after a seismic event, maintaining the integrity of both interior components and the structure, and facilitating the continuation of care to patients with minimal service disruption. The core seismic design involved segmenting the building at each floor to create units that could move in the case of a seismic event. Non-linear analysis enhanced the lateral system’s behavior and upgraded potential weaknesses. A protruding front entrance canopy necessitated intricate foundations that seamlessly blended in with the building’s aesthetic. Further work included a sophisticated steel elevator system, support for a glass skybridge, and vibration studies to account for the presence of laboratory equipment.

Ensuring Resiliency

In addition to numerous other renovations and upgrades on campus, SCH initiated the next level of patient care with Phase II, known as “Building Care”. Its immediate adjacency allowed for direct connection to The Friends of Costco Building at every level, supported by 3-foot-wide expansion joints. The facility came with key priorities: a universal floor plan, ease of circulation for doctors and staff, uninterrupted access to the emergency department, and energy reduction.

The relocation of an extensive storm line and the former emergency department drop-off, before construction, were crucial to the project’s success. Moving the existing 24-inch storm line away from the Building Care footprint and bolting it to the existing Friends of Costco Building within the subgrade garage connection area minimized disruption during the remainder of construction. A “backpack approach” allowed space for MEP systems to run vertically along the back of the building, creating a more accessible drop-off area for patients.  Working closely with the hospital and our design-construction partners, we established redundancy and transfer plans for the intricate web of utilities that serve the entire campus and neighborhood. This scope included proactive preparation of infrastructure to support a future Phase 3 expansion.

Advancing a Commitment to Community Health

In addition to SCH’s increased demand for resiliency is an ethos to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible. That mindset prompted achieving certification as the nation’s first Salmon-Safe hospital campus.

Achieved initially in 2016, the certification includes seven (7) conditions related to the effectiveness of on-site stormwater management, water use reduction, landscape management practices, integrated pest management, and habitat management for amphibians. As the campus continued to evolve with new facilities, such as Building Care, strategies were formulated to ensure that recertification remained continually possible. The five-year certification renewed in 2022 due to the additional efforts.

With over 100 completed projects, Coughlin Porter Lundeen’s partnership in the evolution of Seattle Children’s Hospital dates to our inception as an organization in the 1990s. As the future of healthcare continues to redefine itself, we are looking ahead to what’s next in advancing engineering solutions to support the next wave of flexible, accessible, and resilient structures.