Though Kahn and Aurora had already been collaborating for more than a decade, this state-of-the-art tertiary care hospital posed a variety of new challenges. As a joint venture between Aurora Health Care and BayCare Clinic that would at the time constitute the fourth hospital in the Green Bay area, this new medical center would need to offer something substantially new and different to compete in the marketplace. And because of the competitiveness of that marketplace, an extraordinary timeline was required: 27 months from inception to operation. more...
To satisfy the first concern – the new medical center’s uniqueness quotient – Kahn incorporated the trademark Aurora colors, materials, and other elements into its design, and it collaborated with Aurora to devise other important features, such as the elimination of overhead paging systems and numerous areas for patients, family members, and other guests to gather and relax. Ultimately, the Aurora BayCare Medical Center won the Planetree organization’s “Spirit of Caring” Award for architectural and interior design conducive to health and healing.
The project’s accelerated timeline required precision coordination and timing among Kahn, the developer Hammes Company, and construction manager M.A. Mortenson Company in the complex management of the numerous and various elements involved. This experienced team not only accelerated the construction schedule but they also devised a system of checks and balances that maintained both superior quality and timeliness. One key aspect in meeting these dual goals was the crucial decision to use precast exterior brick panels that eliminated labor-intensive masonry detailing, allowed faster exterior enclosure, and enabled interior work to proceed as scheduled.
Kahn provided programming, master planning, project management, architectural design, structural engineering, and field representation on this project.
