Iredell Memorial Hospital – Fifth Floor Addition

After looking at expansion alternatives to provide for the need for additional patient beds, McCulloch England Associates Architects determined the most efficient growth option was a vertical expansion above the existing bed floors. The project had been designed for vertical expansion originally, but because of changes in building codes since the original 1986 construction, a steel frame was used for the structural system, and the layout of many of the rooms was altered to meet new licensing and handicapped requirements. The construction was conducted while all spaces below it remained occupied. After framing was completed, but before the space was enclosed, new cooling towers were installed and brought into service on the future roof before the existing cooling towers were removed. The project also included the replacement of three chillers that serve the whole building and upgrades to four building elevators. Additionally, the Interior Master Plan designed for the entire facility was initially implemented on the fifth floor with the Tower Expansion project. After completion of this project, the existing second and third floors were renovated and updated as well.