Month: January 2017

Originally published in High-Profile Monthly. By Alvaro J. Ribeiro

January 25, 2017 – Renovating and repurposing a building can involve several factors: preserving existing features, updating building infrastructure, and energizing spaces for their new use. Warehouses offer their own challenges, especially “legacy” buildings that have long become obsolete. An antiquated warehouse in a high-profile location on Quincy’s Squantum Point is emerging as a modern, energy-efficient, and state-of-the-art global distribution center for Boston Scientific Corporation.

As worldwide demand grows for medical devices, the expansion and modernization of Boston Scientific’s global logistics center is an important milestone for the company and the state of Massachusetts. Boston Scientific Corporation, a worldwide developer, manufacturer, and marketer of medical solutions, has located its distribution center in the north building of the vast warehouse complex on Squantum Point since 1997. Located on the Neponset River and visible from Interstate 93 on approach to Boston, the buildings formerly served as warehouses for department store Jordan Marsh & Co. Seeking to expand and modernize its logistics — as well as deepen its roots in Quincy, Boston Scientific is now consolidating all of its operational and distribution functions into a new global distribution center in the south building on Squantum Point.

Half of Boston Scientific’s global product manufacturing, including medical device products such as life-saving stents, will come through this 24-hour distribution facility housing approximately 400 employees. Comprising 60,000sf of office space and a 550,000sf customer fulfillment center, the sustainably designed building will seek LEED Gold certification for existing buildings and features an energy-efficient “smart technology” conveyor system in the distribution center that only operates when a package is detected on it. Boston Scientific selected Margulies Perruzzi Architects (MPA) to design the interior fit-out and building envelope renovations to the state-of-the-art facility, which is expected to be complete in June 2017.

MPA inherited legacy building conditions that guided the repositioning of the warehouse and the development of the open office floor plan. Different weight-bearing capacities of the existing building’s slab limited the location of major building functions such as the warehouse and its accompanying storage. The interior office space was brought up to the Boston Scientific Global Workplace design standards that are being deployed around the world, including global headquarters in Marlborough, Mass. Like the headquarters, branding appears throughout the workspace, highlighting Boston Scientific’s products and patient stories.

The large south building features a unique, L-shaped footprint, so MPA stretched the office spaces along the building’s edge to distribute natural light throughout the office. Different corporate functions occupy each of the L’s wings, maximizing operational efficiency from the unique layout. To enhance the employee experience in the new building, Boston Scientific chose a variety of high-end amenities. As the jewel of the building, the roof terrace adjoining the full-service corporate dining facility offers stunning views of downtown Boston and Squantum Point and provides a compelling amenity for employees.

MPA’s design has repurposed the exterior skin and infrastructure of an antiquated warehouse building into an attractive, energy-efficient, and natural-light-filled office and distribution facility. By incorporating new technologies in logistics and providing an amenity-rich and sustainable work environment, Boston Scientific is investing in the future of this facility in Quincy.

Alvaro J. Ribeiro, AIA, is a senior architect at Margulies Perruzzi Architects.

Expanded and renovated facility to increase hospital’s outpatient capacity by 21,000 visits per year

BOSTON – Jan. 17, 2017 – Margulies Perruzzi Architects (MPA), one of Boston’s most innovative architectural and interior design firms, announced today that it has completed the expansion and renovation of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod in Sandwich, Mass. MPA designed a two-story, 6,230 SF addition and renovated 12,800 SF of space in the existing 60-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital. The expansion of the 76,900 SF hospital addresses space constraints, enhancing accessibility and preparing the hospital to meet projected demand for outpatient services as Cape Cod’s population ages.

As the Cape’s only rehabilitation hospital, Spaulding Cape Cod (SCC) provides advanced rehabilitation care to help people transition to home following illness, injury or surgery. It’s the only acute rehab provider on the Cape, and its hospital-based outpatient center includes an innovative array of specialty programs, including many serving the geriatric population. Cape Cod has one of the largest concentrations of senior citizens in the country, and the number of residents age 65 and older is predicted to more than double between 2015 and 2030. These residents will have increasing needs for rehabilitation services and Spaulding’s unique expertise as they age. Currently, SCC’s staff care for about 1,100 inpatients and provide more than 100,000 outpatient therapy and physician visits annually. With this expansion, SCC will increase its capacity to provide 80,000 additional therapy visits and 10,500 additional physician visits over the next five years.

“By bringing advanced rehab expertise to the Cape, Spaulding Cape Cod has made a unique contribution to the health of the community since opening 21 years ago,” said Maureen Banks, president of Spaulding Cape Cod. “Thanks to a beautiful and functional design, we have an enhanced environment of care. This vital resource will be able to meet our patients’ needs well into the future.”

The project expanded Spaulding’s physician services clinic by 33 percent and added two physician exam/treatment rooms and eight new outpatient therapy rooms, doubling the private treatment space and increasing Spaulding’s outpatient capacity to accommodate up to 21,000 more visits per year. A new, multi-purpose room on the first floor will be used for current and planned wellness and education programs and community-based support groups, and a quiet room gives nursing mothers or anxious children a private space to wait for appointments. On the inpatient unit, five treatment rooms were added and a patient/family resource room was created. MPA redesigned the reception area and expanded the lobby, registration, and waiting areas to enhance accessibility for patients with mobility impairments, provide private spaces for registration, and improve workflow. The reception area’s hospitality design includes a curved reception desk with two custom-height counters that allow patients to comfortably stand or sit in a wheelchair at registration.

The expansion and renovation of Spaulding Cape Cod was a complex, multi-phase project that required careful coordination among the clinical staff, design team, and contractors. Phased over 10 months, MPA worked closely with construction manager Columbia Construction Company to sequence construction work, permitting the hospital to maintain normal operations without impacting inpatient and outpatient care. First, the team completed the new entrance and reception “living room,” offering patients and families an exciting first impression and preview of improvements to come. With the completion of the new addition, programmatic elements were then moved to their new location, allowing the team to renovate as well as restore existing spaces to their original purpose. Spaulding Cape Cod communicated frequently with staff, patients and their families about what to expect with the renovation, an effort that resulted in a successfully received project.

Spaulding’s goal for the project was to enhance the patient experience through improvements to the inpatient and outpatient environments. MPA collaborated with Spaulding staff throughout the design process to incorporate workflow enhancements. The hospital’s Patient Family Advisory Council, as well as mobility-impaired patients, provided suggestions for improving the comfort and accessibility of the spaces.

“From the onset of our relationship, MPA understood our culture and goals, and they were very receptive to respecting our existing architecture and what makes us unique,” said Stephanie Nadolny, Spaulding Cape Cod’s vice president of hospital operations. “The designers at MPA listened, asked questions, and consulted our staff about how physical improvements to the hospital could enhance their patient care delivery. MPA’s thorough due diligence in understanding us as a healthcare provider contributed to the success of our expanded facility.”

The project team also included the owner’s project manager Colliers International, civil engineer BSC Group, M/E/P engineer Thompson Consultants, and structural engineer Odeh Engineering.

About Margulies Perruzzi Architects
Consistently ranked as one of Boston’s top architectural and interior design firms, Margulies Perruzzi Architects creates buildings and interiors for clients who value the quality of their workplace. The firm services the corporate, professional services, healthcare, science/technology, and real estate communities with a focus on sustainable design. MPA has designed high performance workspace for Iron Mountain, Zipcar, Boston Scientific, Philips, Cimpress/Vistaprint, Forrester Research, Hobbs Brook Management, and Reliant Medical Group. For more information, please visit http://www.mp-architects.com.

About Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod and Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod (SCC) is a 60-bed acute rehabilitation hospital providing advanced inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation to residents of the Cape, Islands and South Shore. SCC is the only provider of hospital-level rehabilitation on Cape Cod and includes outpatient centers in Sandwich, Yarmouth, Orleans, and Plymouth, and a dedicated pediatric outpatient center in Sandwich. SCC is a member of The Spaulding Rehabilitation Network (SRN) and Partners HealthCare. SRN also includes Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, its main campus the new 132-bed facility in Charlestown, which is a national model for environmental and inclusive design; Spaulding Hospital Cambridge; two skilled nursing facilities; and 24 outpatient sites throughout Eastern Massachusetts. Spaulding strives to continually update and improve its programs to offer patients the latest, high-quality care through its leading, expert providers. Spaulding Boston is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and the official rehabilitation hospital of the New England Revolution. Spaulding Boston is the only rehabilitation hospital in New England continually ranked since 1995 by U.S. News and World Report in its Best Hospitals survey with a #5 ranking in 2016-2017. For more information, please visit www.spauldingrehab.org.

Media Contacts:
Michele Spiewak
Rhino PR for Margulies Perruzzi Architects
617.851.2618
MPArchitects@rhinopr.com

Carole Stasiowski
Director of Community Relations
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod
508.833.4006
cstasiowski@partners.org