The University of California, Irvine, awarded the UCI Medical Center Irvine project to the Hensel Phelps + CO Architects design-build team. Adjacent to the UCI academic campus, the new medical facilities will be a short walk or bike ride for researchers, students, and staff.
“The UCI Medical Center Irvine will undoubtedly have a dramatic impact on the delivery of exceptional healthcare in Orange County. We couldn’t ask for a better partner than the Hensel Phelps + CO Architects team to deliver this meaningful project for UCI, UCI Health, and the whole region,” says Brian Pratt, assistant vice chancellor and campus architect at UCI.
Rendering courtesy of CO Architects
The new medical center embraces UCI’s commitment to sustainable design and construction, incorporating recycled water in the central plant and for irrigation, green power, and the preservation of the San Joaquin Marsh Reserve. The marsh will provide unparalleled views to comfort patients and families while providing relaxing spaces for doctors, researchers, and staff.
The new medical center embraces UCI’s commitment to sustainable design and construction, incorporating recycled water in the central plant and for irrigation, green power, and the preservation of the San Joaquin Marsh Reserve. The marsh will provide unparalleled views to comfort patients and families while providing relaxing spaces for doctors, researchers, and staff.
Rendering courtesy of CO Architects
The new sophisticated campus will include a 144-bed, 350,000-square-foot hospital, including an emergency department, inpatient bed services, operating rooms, pre/post observation beds, inpatient imaging, and support services. It will also have a 200,000-square-foot ambulatory surgery center consisting of outpatient surgery and procedure rooms, diagnostic and imaging services, oncology treatment and infusion facilities, clinical exam rooms, a pharmacy, and support services. Additional features include a 35,000-square-foot central energy plant to serve the campus and a 1,340-space parking structure.
The site will feature multiple areas for gathering outdoors, including walkable pathways and numerous healing gardens, offering views to the campus and landscape features.
Rendering courtesy of CO Architects
“The UCI Medical Center Irvine integrates multiple specialties and treatment programs with a commitment to creating a patient experience founded on improving healing through design in a unique environment located at the city’s edge, facing the San Joaquin nature reserve,” says Tom Chessum, FAIA, principal at CO Architects. “Our healthcare, interior design, laboratory planning, and health-sciences education architects are collaborating within the design and build team toward a unified project mission—to achieve UCI Health’s goals for discovery, teaching, and healing.”
The Hensel Phelps + CO Architects design-build team will design and construct the new project, anticipated to break ground in mid-2021. The parking structure will be complete in 2022, followed by the ambulatory surgery center and central energy plant in 2023. The hospital is expected to be completed in 2025.
“We’re committed to delivering the world-class UCI Medical Center Irvine as the southern Orange County community continues to grow,” said Damian Buessing, vice president and district manager at Hensel Phelps. “An important part of that commitment includes constructing this state-of-the-art hospital building efficiently and safely while maintaining the strong community relationships Hensel Phelps has in Orange County.”
The UCI Medical Center Irvine will contribute to the local economy by creating upward of 2,500 healthcare and construction jobs, attracting out-of-area healthcare professionals and patients to the region, and providing vendor and partnership opportunities for Orange County-based businesses.
About the University of California, Irvine (UCI):
Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation, and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 222 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy.
About UCI Health:
UCI Health comprises the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Patients can access UCI Health at primary and specialty care offices across Orange County and at its flagship campus, UCI Medical Center in Orange, California. UCI Medical Center features Orange County’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program, and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center and regional burn center. UCI Health serves a region of nearly four million people in Orange County, western Riverside County, and southeast Los Angeles County.
About Hensel Phelps:
Hensel Phelps is recognized as one of the premier general contracting firms in the United States since 1937, specializing in planning, building, and managing facilities in every building sector, including healthcare, aviation, higher education, federal, and justice. Our people are committed to delivering the highest quality solutions and creating the most innovative and efficient facilities for our clients, from conception through construction, operations, and asset management. As one of Southern California’s largest construction employers, our firm has been an engaged community partner in Orange County for more than 35 years.
About CO Architects:
Los Angeles-based CO Architects is nationally recognized for architectural planning, programming, and design in the healthcare, science and technology, and higher-education sectors, and works with leading institutions from coast to coast. CO Architects’ specialized expertise includes transformative schools of medicine and health professions, advanced research and teaching laboratories, and innovative clinical facilities on higher education, healthcare, and urban campuses. The firm has been nationally and internationally recognized with more than 175 awards for innovative design and project delivery, including the AIA California’s Architecture Firm of the Year Award.
