Your Vision. Our Expertise.
HEALTHCARE
Lawrence General Hospital
Lawrence, MA
Beals + Thomas conducted a preliminary feasibility study of site and civil engineering issues related to the proposed replacement of the emergency department at Lawrence General Hospital. We reviewed the preferred location of the emergency department addition located at the main visitor entrance, adjacent to the hospital’s Lamprey and Hamblet buildings, and developed an alternative location adjacent to the Morse building along Prospect Street. The study provided layout, grading, and utility detail associated with the preferred and alternative locations. A review of the local zoning requirements and required permits was also included.
Lawrence General Hospital moved forward with the design and permitting of the new emergency department at the alternative Prospect Street location, and although this location presented a preferable alternative for visibility and access, the 30-foot grade change and the presence of existing vital utility connections
presented a significant design challenge.
Beals + Thomas also worked with Lavallee/Brensinger Architects to develop an integrated building and site design concept. The new emergency department is supported upon tall columns at the Prospect Street level of the site. The area beneath the emergency department is used for two levels of parking and mechanical/electrical support equipment. The design accommodates the hospital’s
desired expansion program while minimizing the footprint of
new construction. We successfully represented the interests of Lawrence General Hospital by obtaining approvals from the
Lawrence Conservation Commission and Board of Appeals.
Merrimack Valley Hospice
Haverhill, MA
Beals + Thomas was engaged by Lavallee Brensinger Architects to provide civil engineering services for the development of the 15,000 SF Merrimack Valley Hospice House. The project site comprises approximately 39+/- acres of mature pine forest and wetlands and was selected by the owner because of the secluded and serene setting.
The 14 private rooms overlook untouched wilderness and feature patios so that patients and their families can take-in the outdoors.
The Hospice House accommodations for visiting families and friends include common rooms and gathering areas, indoor and outdoor dining areas, a play area for visiting children, libraries, a sanctuary, gardens and exterior walking paths.
Beals + Thomas’s primary responsibilities were to design the site grading, stormwater management systems and utility services. Due to the remote location selected for the hospice building, a lengthy site driveway, lengthy utility extensions and an on-site sewage pumping station were required. Beals + Thomas coordinated extensively with the owner, architect and other consultants on engineering and site development issues, and assisted the project team with presentations to the City boards and commissions.
Emerson Hospital
Concord, MA
Beals + Thomas has provided Emerson Hospital with environmentally responsible design and engineering services since 1985. Challenged to enhance a state-of-the-art medical facility while preserving the surrounding environment, we successfully managed an efficient permitting process, implemented innovative stormwater management systems, and designed enhancements to parking and site circulation that minimize intrusion into undeveloped natural resource areas. Project components included a four-story addition to the John Cuming Building and a four-story North Wing addition, a parking garage, new surface parking lots, an emergency helipad, a new MRI facility and a new linear accelerator facility.
A major goal of each expansion project was to develop a site design that decreased the amount of impervious surface area to improve the operation of the hospital facility located in the town’s Groundwater Protection District. Beals + Thomas designed improvements to the drainage system to protect the groundwater quality and quantity. These improvements recharged the groundwater through a series of leaching structures connected to roof drains on the new building and to catch basins located in the paved areas. Development projects pursued over the past 25 years have required aquifer resource district Special Permits associated with the protection of the adjacent municipal well field and Zone II.
