The University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center opens its doors next month to provide health and medical services to Prince Georges County, a suburb of Washington, D.C. An earlier-than-originally-anticipated opening was made possible by a time-saving approach to construction of the central utility plant.
The new 11-story, 600,000-square-foot hospital, originally called the Prince George’s Regional Medical Center, features a pre-manufactured central utility plant that was instrumental in the hospital opening sooner than what would have otherwise been possible.
Leach Wallace, a WSP company, provided the University of Maryland Medical System project with mechanical-electrical-plumbing (MEP), fire protection, electrical/lighting and fire alarm design for the project, which is set for completion in November. The building, designed by Wilmot Sanz Architects, will open to patients by spring 2021.
“This facility will serve a lower income community and will provide state-of-the-art, modern healthcare in an area that deeply needs it,” said Michael Lamdin, WSP USA project manager. “This project is by far the largest – and the MEP systems the most complex – that I have had the chance to work on as project manager.”
Design began in late 2014 and construction for the $285 million project began in October 2017. The central utility plant, which provides heating, cooling, electricity and other utility services to maintain a comfortable environment for the patients, faculty and staff at the medical center, was installed during the summer of 2019.
The plant is now operational but due to COVID-19 concerns, the public opening of the medical center has been delayed until spring 2021. The medical facility was designed to meet U.S. Green Building Council requirements for LEED Silver certification.
The University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center includes a 60,000-square-foot ambulatory care center, an emergency department with 41 treatment bays, trauma department, eight operating rooms, nine labor and delivery rooms, and a two-level cancer center, medical oncology and radiation oncology department.