September 25, 2012
UW community invited to tour Montlake Tower
Window placement at the Montlake Tower offers natural lighting and scenic views.Clare McLean
The UW community is invited to celebrate the completion of the 273,000-square-foot Montlake Tower expansion at UW Medical Center on Friday, Oct. 5, and Saturday, Oct. 6. Staff and faculty can tour the new facility from 7-9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 5. An open house and tour for the broader community is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 6.
The Montlake Tower, on the south side of UW Medical Center, incorporates state-of-the-art architectural, technological and environmental design elements to enhance patient and staff experience. The $210 million project offers spacious patient rooms and work areas, scenic views, natural and custom lighting, and energy efficiency.
Construction of the new eight-story building was begun in April 2009. This phase of the project includes increased capacity for oncology and neonatal intensive care unit patients, as well as more space for leading-edge digital imaging technology. Two floors will house administration and three floors are shelled for future expansion.
The Montlake Tower garden.Clare McLean
Here are some of the features of the new building:
Oncology Services expansion on the eighth floor includes 30 single rooms for patients with blood diseases; two isolation rooms for greater infection control; and a comfortable family lounge with household amenities, including bath and shower, comfortable sitting spaces, washer/dryer and kitchenette. Staff conference room has interactive white boards and videoconferencing capability to promote medical education among staff and distance learners.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit expansion on the fourth floor can accommodate 47 infants in 39 single rooms and four rooms for twins, making it one of the largest neonatal ICUs in the Pacific Northwest. The new neonatal ICU includes an infant operating room, a pediatric pharmacy, a family lounge with household amenities, and an advanced security system. The floor also provides “front porch” benches along the corridor to foster conversation and community among family members. Centrally located rounds area offers a shared work space for multidisciplinary team.
A CT imaging machine in the radiology facility at the Montlake Tower is in a room with a ceiling image of sky and trees.Clare McLean
Radiology expansion on the second floor includes leading-edge digital imaging technology for diagnosing and treating brain tumors and neurovascular and vascular diseases. The new space includes four CT scanners, two magnetic resonance scanners and four angiography suites. The interventional radiology suite is custom-designed by Philips so that, if necessary, patients can have all three types of treatment in one session.
The Montlake Tower was designed by NBBJ architects and designers. Skanska was the general contractor and construction manager.
On Twitter @UWMedicineNews: Follow #MontlakeTower now and all through next week for sneak peeks and facts about UWMC’s brand new medical facility
