Northeast’s Largest “Green” Healthcare Construction Project Completed with Help from KBE Building Corp.

Ribbon-cutting, blessing for new Christina M. Nappi Surgical Tower held on Sept. 4

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Oct. 7, 2014 – Doctors, nurses, and patients at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center are now enjoying the increased efficiency and productivity promised by the Northeast’s largest “green” healthcare construction project, completed with help from KBE Building Corporation.

Partnering with Hayner Hoyt Corporation, the Farmington, Conn.-based firm served as Construction Manager at Risk for the $95-million, 200,000-square-foot full-service, critical care Christina M. Nappi Surgical Tower, which features 110 spacious private rooms and a 4,000-square-foot surgical waiting room with seating for approximately 135 people.

The Nappi Tower is located on the north end of St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, a non-profit, 431-bed hospital and healthcare system providing services to patients in 16 counties in Central New York State. The Nappi Tower’s ripple effect on the Central New York economy is projected to be $98 million (according to general multipliers used in the construction industry).

Building Features

The surgical tower, which took one year to build, was designed by King & King Architects to maximize productivity while minimizing the possibility for medical errors.

  • a “pass-through server” halves the number of steps taken by doctors and nurses traveling daily throughout the building
  • workstations on wheels (WOWs) allow caregivers to move more freely through patient rooms
  • mobile beds and equipment allow patients to be more easily moved within rooms as necessary

“Green” Features

The new surgical tower extends St. Joseph’s “green” footprint beyond its LEED Silver-certified Emergency Services Building.

  • reduced water usage
  • storm water retention system
  • recycled content used in building materials and finishes
  • low or no volatile organic compounds in paints, carpets, and finishes
  • entire building powered by “green” energy

The Nappi Tower in Numbers 

More than 1,100 construction workers representing all trades installed the following:

  • 2,313,000 feet of wire
  • 311,000 pounds of ductwork
  • 3,200,000 pounds of steel
  • 8,329 cubic yards of concrete
  • 915,000 square feet of drywall
  • 502,000 linear feet of studs

Thanks to a through and well-thought-out plan developed during Preconstruction, KBE was able to complete all work ahead of schedule and under budget without disturbing hospital patients or staff.

All construction workers were trained in hospital construction safety, a concept KBE has mastered following several phases of hospital expansion work at St. Joseph’s. During an earlier project phase, KBE partnered with Hayner Hoyt to complete an $80-million, 73,000-square-foot emergency facility and subsequent 50,000-square-foot renovation of the old emergency facility center after the new facility became fully operational. The Nappi Tower and the addition of 15 new operating rooms are the second phase of the multi-year project.

“St. Joseph’s employs some of the most caring, capable hospital staff in the country,” said KBE principal owner and CEO Mike Kolakowski. “It’s been our ongoing mission to help those caregivers meet the needs of all patients, especially the elderly and others with special medical needs.”

New patient rooms at the Nappi Tower have been designed to reduce patient falls, especially among seniors. KBE is also helping reduce falls at Tower One/Tower East in New Haven, Conn.; as part of its corporate philanthropic program 50 Ways to Make a Difference, the firm recently donated $50,000 to the senior living facility’s Wellness Program, which includes a Fall Prevention Program.

Established in 2009 to celebrate the firm’s new ownership, name change, and 50 years in business, 50 Ways has helped KBE associates donate more than $1.2 million and 5,000 volunteer hours to charitable causes benefiting children, seniors, and military veterans in Connecticut and Maryland.

“In Connecticut, our philanthropic efforts have been focused on improving our state’s long-term economic outlook by supporting technical education and manufacturing,” said Kolakowski. “We’re thrilled that the Tower will supplement those efforts by helping to revitalize the economy in New York State.”

High-resolution photographs of KBE’s work at St. Joseph’s are available here. Photo credit: Revette Photography.

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About KBE Building Corporation

Regionally located in Farmington, Conn., and Columbia, Md., KBE Building Corporation is a full-service, single-source commercial construction company strategically positioned to serve the Eastern and Mid-Atlantic U.S. Founded in 1959 and incorporated in 1966, the firm is celebrating its 55th year providing preconstruction, construction management, design-build, and general contracting services to clients in the educational, senior living, federal, corporate, hospitality, health care, institutional, and retail markets. KBE has managed more than $2.5 billion in construction volume over the last decade and is ranked among Engineering News-Record magazine’s top 400 construction companies nationally.

Media Contact: Jonelle Lawhorn | KBE Director of Marketing

t: 860.284.7431| c: 860.836.7517 | f: 860.284.7831 | e: jlawhorn@kbebuilding.com