Milstein Family Heart Center New York-Presbyterian Hospital

Cor Wagenaar, Noor Mens

Description

One of the best known high-rise hospitals, New York-Presbyterian Hospital marked new ways of thinking in healthcare architecture in the 1920s. Located on the Hudson, it ushered in the golden years of skyscraper hospitals. Numerous buildings were added to it in subsequent years, culminating in a majestic symbol of modern healthcare. Over time, however, part of the building stock was in need of refurbishment if the hospital wanted to live up to its standards as a state-of-the-art institution. For the Milstein Hospital, which opened in 1989, an extension became necessary as the clinic, with over 100 operations each day in 26 operating theaters, had become one of the most sought after heart surgery centers in the USA. Next to the clinic, squeezed between its main building and the Herbert Irving Pavilion, a piece of land had been left untouched, a chunk of solid rock making construction difficult and expensive. Now the need to expand the clinic made it imperative to overcome these difficulties.

The architects faced the task to provide the extension with a distinct character. They did so by introducing curved façades that contrast with the rectilinear lines of the adjacent Herbert Irving Pavilion. Overlooking the Hudson River, the new wing of the Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center (as its full name is) provides impressive views. In the public areas, curved lines mark the transition between the original center and the new addition. This gives the extension a character of its own and connects it graciously to the existing building. The transition zone between the old and the new building culminates in a large atrium that gives access to the waiting areas and the prefunction spaces facing the glass façade. It can be reached via the lobby of the existing building or via its own entrance from a side street. Bridges across the four story high atrium facilitate the interaction between the old and new wings. Laboratories and medical imaging are located on the basement level, and the ground floor accommodates a conference center with a prefunction space, an auditorium and meeting rooms. The second floor is reserved for the invasive cardiology suite, with 11 cardiac cath labs. The third floor houses the ambulatory surgery center, consisting of eight operating theaters: two are outfitted for stereotactic surgery, four for minimal-access surgery and two for general surgery. Diagnostic facilities and echocardiography are on the fourth floor, and 20 intensive care units on the fifth.