First Clinical Building in Medical College's 107-Year History
Hallowed Building Tradition Graces State-of-the-Art Flagship Building for Cornell University in NYC
NEW YORK (May 16, 2005) — Weill Medical College of Cornell University today observed the topping-out ceremony for its new Ambulatory Care and Medical Education Building, the 107-year-old institution's first clinical facility. The centerpiece of Weill Cornell's capital campaign, "Advancing the Clinical Mission," the 13-story, 330,000-square-foot, $230 million medical complex will serve as the new focus for patient care and education at the Medical College's campus, as well as the flagship building for Cornell University in New York City.
The topping-out ceremony brings a venerated building tradition to a site that will herald the future of medicine. The signing and raising of the final beam is a grandly symbolic act; as the beam soars 13 stories to crown the 4,000-ton steel frame, it signifies a pinnacle of achievement for the capital campaign and the Medical College.
"This Ambulatory Care and Medical Education Building is the centerpiece of the most ambitious capital campaign in the history of our Medical School," says Sanford I. Weill, Chairman of the Board of Overseers of Weill Medical College. "I thank everyone who had the vision and foresight to extend our horizons, so that today we celebrate the expansion of Weill Cornell's clinical and research programs that will better serve our families. It is through the generosity of our donors and friends, our extraordinary physicians and scientists, our government and civic leaders that we can look forward to a new era of patient care."
A comfortable, modern, and aesthetically pleasing environment designed to make the ambulatory patient experience pleasant and efficient, the building will house numerous specialty clinical programs, as well as world-class research and medical education. Located at 1305 York Avenue at East 70th Street, it is scheduled to open in the fall of 2006.
"Today marks an historic occasion," says Kevin R. Brine, Chairman of Weill Cornell's "Advancing the Clinical Mission" capital campaign and member of Weill Cornell's Board of Overseers. "We celebrate a milestone for a building that will truly serve as a model for the coordinated delivery of superior health-care services in the 21st century, and set a new standard for patient-centered, integrated care, and medical education."
"This new building will further Weill Cornell's tri-partite mission of research, teaching, and patient care," says Dr. Antonio M. Gotto Jr., Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. "By consolidating many clinical practices under one roof, patients will have a central location to obtain needed medical services. And by situating Medical College students and physician-scientists closer to clinical care, the building will be a model of medical education and will facilitate the kind of clinical research that leads to medical breakthroughs."
The ceremony will include remarks by Sanford I. Weill, Chairman of the Weill Cornell Medical College Board of Overseers; Maurice R. Greenberg, Member of Weill Cornell's Board of Overseers; Dr. Antonio M. Gotto, Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College; Peter C. Meinig, Chairman of the Cornell University Board of Trustees; Dr. Herbert Pardes, President and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, the College's clinical partner; Kevin R. Brine, Chairman of Weill Cornell's "Advancing the Clinical Mission" capital campaign; Les Craig, Senior Vice President of Bovis Lend Lease; and James Abadie, Principal-in-Charge of Bovis Lend Lease.
Patient Amenities
As part of its patient-centered design philosophy, the building will offer an array of special amenities not commonly found in health-care institutions. According to the building's planners, the total experience of visiting the doctor will be more streamlined, seamless, and efficient — from scheduling an appointment, to locating the doctor's office, the doctor's visit itself, and any follow-up care. Health-care professionals will be on hand to help patients every step of the way.
A central feature of the new building will be the Patient Welcome Resource Center. Located at the top of the escalators from the entrance lobby, the Center will offer a comfortable, spacious place for patients and families to rest between appointments and browse through medical information in one of its lounges, on a computer workstation, or in the Health Education Library. The Center will also host health education seminars that will be free and open to the general public. Additional plans include valet parking, and full use of a clinical information system and electronic medical records by all physicians in the building.
During the planning phase of the building, and based on extensive research with patients, physicians, and staff, Weill Cornell's Physician Organization embarked on implementing a new vision of the ambulatory patient care experience — an initiative called "Weill Cornell: We Care."
Consolidated Practices
Key clinical programs, such as cardiology, dermatology, gastroenterology, ENT, and radiology, will be expanded and housed in this new facility — thus offering most patients the clinical convenience of "one-stop shopping." The Department of Radiology will occupy an entire floor.
Medical Education and Research
Designed to meet the requirements of contemporary medical schools, the building will offer medical students first-class facilities and first-hand experiences observing and participating in real-life medical situations. The building will feature an innovative Clinical Skills Center, a 10,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art teaching facility in which students can practice clinical skills in a controlled environment with standardized "actor" patients, and begin training in patient interactions early in their education. A self-study lab will make available virtual-reality technology and computer-controlled mannequins simulating various conditions in order to allow students to work individually on a range of medical procedures.
The new building will also foster opportunities for scientific collaboration among the Medical College's researchers by providing them with additional space and the latest technology. Occupying the 13th floor, the new, multidisciplinary Institute for Computational Biomedicine (ICB) specializes in the development of research technologies employing mathematical models, physics, and high-speed computing to analyze tremendous volumes of scientific data to test hypotheses about the structure and function of the human body, and search for clues to its mysteries. Unique among its peers for the integration of genomic and cellular data with a broad, systematic approach to medicine, the ICB facilitates the translation of new discoveries into clinical therapies. For example, computational biomedicine has allowed investigators literally to see the pathway between a genetic mutation and the medical condition it causes, and made possible other important discoveries that never before lay within the reach of human knowledge. The ICB also houses an innovative computer-assisted virtual environment, known as Immersion Visualization System (IVS); in this virtual-reality theater, physicians and scientists can visualize in three dimensions the computer-generated representations of molecules, cells, and organs.
The ICB also serves as a base for education and training of faculty and students at Weill Cornell Medical College and Graduate School of Medical Sciences. A key part of its mission is to develop a new generation of scientists rigorously trained in the core areas of bioinformatics and computational sciences as they relate to medicine.
Design
Guided by the principle that the building's design is integral to the healing process, architectural features have been carefully selected to maximize patient well-being. Reflective pools, cascading water features, and still water images will accent the building's public spaces, and large picture windows with special fritted exterior glass will allow soft light to permeate the interior, yet preserve patient privacy. Interior design details, such as the color of the woods, the texture of the fabrics and walls, and the color scheme have all been carefully chosen to complement the soothing, patient-friendly environment.
Architecture and Construction
Weill Cornell Medical College's new Ambulatory Care and Medical Education Building is designed by Polshek Partnership Architects and Ballinger, a 120-person firm known for architectural excellence and innovative design, and for its longstanding commitment to cultural, educational, governmental, and scientific institutions. The new building, with its gently sloped vertical surfaces, reflects the gothic motif of the original New York Hospital — Cornell Medical Center across York Avenue, while its luminous veil suggests a new direction for health care: elegant, inviting, and unexpectedly refined. Among other New York projects, Polshek is responsible for the Carnegie Hall Renovation, the American Museum of Natural History's Rose Center for Earth and Space, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art Renovation and Expansion.
Bovis Land Lease, ranked the second largest construction manager last year, is providing all local construction services.
Office of Public Affairs
pr@nyp.org