Galveston’s New Home for Acute Care

As part of the University of Texas (UT) System, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) works to improve the health of Texans and people around the world. But when its facilities were severely damaged in 2008 by Hurricane Ike, its future was called into question. Thanks to a robust Capital Improvement Plan, innovative solutions and the support of the community, UTMB has been building resiliency across its system with thoughtful renovation and new construction approaches. The design of the new building is resistant to high winds and is built 25-feet above sea level to prevent flooding. 

We worked with UTMB to help create a master plan to guide renovations, upgrades and new construction of facilities. We also planned and designed a number of concurrent projects within the plan, including the four-story Jennie Sealy Replacement Hospital. The project replaces and relocates major acute care components and their support services, previously located in spatially constricted and operationally inefficient areas of the existing hospital complex, to a new specialty tower.

Important elements of the project include:

• Eight 32-bed units rest on top of a seven-story diagnostic and treatment platform.
• The new patient tower was carefully sited to preserve effective relationships and flow between existing and relocated departments.
• Design of this facility required balance with the existing fabric and palette of materials, while resisting the impacts of the wind and salt from the Gulf. The mass was reduced through bifurcation of the patient towers and setbacks to maximize light penetration into the inner cores.
• The transverse orientation of the entry, concourse and surgical services juxtaposed with the parallel curved vertical components is a symbol of elegance and timelessness.
• The new facility features breathtaking views of both the Gulf of Mexico and Galveston Bay and state-of-the-art technology such as an intra-operative MRI operating room.