$46.75m addition doubles CINJ cancer patient capacity.

As hospitals push to create space for new specialties, many are, expanding and upgrading existing facilities to meet the needs of their patients.

One such facility is the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey's Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) on the New Brunswick campus of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

To be able to treat a greater number of patients, the 94,000-square-foot CINJ added a $46.75 million 139,000-square-foot, five-story addition that doubles its capacity to treat 100,000 patients annually.

Included in the expansion, which was partially constructed over the existing building's loading dock and utilities and services area, are research, patient treatment, cancer prevention and education space. Two floors are dedicated to clinical space and three floors contain laboratories.

In addition, separate areas were created for the Dean and Betty Gallo Prostate Cancer Center, the Fannie E. Ripple Foundation for Women's Reproductive Cancers and the Unilever Center for Diet and Nutrition. There are also individual suites for pediatric and adult ontology, colon cancer and a life center for terminally-ill patients.

As with many newly-constructed hospital spaces today, the interior was designed to be patient-friendly, with the creation of a "residential" feel. This was accomplished by having the lobby resemble an inviting and warm hotel lobby filled with natural light. Other finishes included wood paneling and interior brick work as well as high-end carpeting and leather furniture.

This same residential feel was extended to the patient suites. Overall design elements, material selections, mechanical and electrical systems, constructability, cost and the schedule were all analyzed as part of Skanska's pre-construction efforts. For example, the structural system to support the building above the existing loading dock was originally envisioned using a vierendeel truss system with additional oversized wide flange beam members. However, during design development it was determined that this system was not practical or cost effective.

Instead, new column spacing and transfer beam arrangements were designed. Because construction was performed on a tight site, three perimeter walls were built near the property line. The CINJ patient entry was within 100 feet of the new building entry, complicating material delivery and contractor staging sequences. The solution was a detailed logistical plan that included temporary fencing, a temporary loading dock and relocation of the building services.

Careful construction phasing enabled the entire project to be completed while the existing CINJ space was kept fully operational, an essential element of any hospital expansion in today's market.