Environmental design students create design concepts for Fort Worth surgical tower

This fall, Texas A&M fourth-year [environmental design] (http://dept.arch.tamu.edu/undergraduate/) students in an Architecture-For-Health studio grappled with the challenge of designing a 14-story surgical tower on a small site at the Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas.

The students, led by George J. Mann, professor of [architecture] (http://dept.arch.tamu.edu/index.html) , were asked to design concepts for project, an approximately 390,000 square foot tower with 15 operating rooms and 144 single-patient beds on a 95,000 square foot site with a very small footprint, and connect it to the existing Methodist hospital.

They will present their final designs Monday, Dec. 3 from 1:15 p.m. – 5:25 p.m. in the Langford Architecture Center’s fourth floor review space and Wednesday, Dec. 5, from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.  in the Education Classroom, Level 1 A&B, in the Methodist Hospital Senior Health and Wellness Building, [1275 W. Terrell Ave. in Fort Worth] (https://www.google.com/maps/place/1275+W+Terrell+Ave,+Fort+Worth,+TX+76104/@32.7354971,-97.338889,16z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x864e7170c61e35e5:0x278623897880f2a!8m2!3d32.7353595!4d-97.3392291) . Both sessions are open to the public.

During the semester, they were guided by Mann, the Ronald L. Skaggs, FAIA Endowed Professor in Health Facilities Design, Norman Morgan and Brent Sparks, principals at [HKS Inc.] (http://www.hksinc.com/) ’s Fort Worth office, as well as additional HKS architects and executives including Ronald L. Skaggs, chairman emeritus, Joseph Sprague, Craig Beale and Craig Kolstad.

Students were also informed by this fall’s Architecture-For-Health lecture series , a weekly event featuring leaders in and J healthcare facility design, construction and administration.

Since Mann founded the Architecture-For-Health studio in 1966, design students at Texas A&M have undertaken more than 800 research and design projects around the world. Studio alumni now hold leadership positions in numerous design firms.

Richard Nira

rnira@arch.tamu.edu