Helen DeVos Children's Hospital new facility promotes family-friendly environment, highlights the natural environment

Sharing this vision, the children of Rich and Helen DeVos plus more than 6,000 donors contributed to the $286 million facility.



Opened on January 11, 2011, this state-of-the-art facility encompasses 440,000 square feet of dedicated, pediatric operation rooms, a pediatric emergency department and pediatric radiology department. The new 206-bed, 14-story hospital nearly quadruples the size of its predecessor to serve more than one million children throughout Michigan.







Designed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® Rating System™ criteria, this healing environment highlights natural elements such as land, sky, sun and water. Like undulating, gentle waves, the exterior's metal panels interweave and shimmer in blue and silver. Architectural Metals Inc. of Portland, Mich., manufactured the custom-fabricated panel system and Linetec finished the material in large, continuous sections at its factory in Wausau, Wis.



"There were 746 individual 'wave' panels on the project ranging from 5- to 10-feet long and 6-inches to 6-feet tall. The waves were made from 3/8-inch-thick aluminum plate," recalled Chad Comps, vice president of Architectural Metals Inc. "As I compared finishing suppliers, Linetec was recommended as the 'best of the best.' After an on-site tour of the facility, I could tell why [they] have a great reputation. Everyone there, from the plant floor to the vice president, really cared about doing a quality job for the customer."



"Finishing the material in our shop allows us to ensure consistent color, optimal performance and environmentally-responsible application," explained Linetec's senior marketing specialist, Tammy Schroeder, LEED® Green Associate.



Linetec's finishing facility safely and efficiently captures and destroys the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in liquid solvent-based paints. "VOCs can be of special concern to projects pursuing sustainable, green design goals and to health care facilities with sensitive medical equipment and patients with compromised immune systems," emphasized Schroeder. "We use specialized equipment to safely capture 100% of the VOCs released in the painting process, and to destroy these captured VOCs with 98.5% efficiency at the factory - before the materials' arrival to the building site."



Linetec finished and shipped the aluminum panels in scheduled phases to Architectural Glass and Metals, Inc. of Byron Center, Mich. The field team installed approximately 50,000 square feet of finished panels and integrated aluminum louvers as part of the hospital's overall, high-performance, unitized, aluminum curtainwall system.



Wolverine Building Group of Grand Rapids, Mich., served as the project's construction manager. Wolverine's vice president Bruce Burgess praised the many members of the building team: "It is a huge success. The Helen DeVos Children's Hospital is a beautiful facility and the quality and pride taken by all of the trades is exceptional."



Adding his appreciation, Comps shared, "A special thanks to Rob Seils who went above and beyond the level of customer service expected. Working with Linetec was a very enjoyable experience from beginning to end. The finished product looks great and when I need a finisher again, I will look to Linetec for another enjoyable experience."



Community-wide gratitude and recognition was shared at the January opening of the new Helen DeVos Children's Hospital. "Today, we celebrate a new era in children's health care for the region that begins with the opening of the new Helen DeVos Children's Hospital on 1-11-11," said Helen DeVos Children's Hospital's president Bob Connors, M.D. "Our 20-year dream has come true: a hospital dedicated exclusively to children's health, transforming pediatric medical and surgical care for children in Michigan and beyond."



In 1993, Helen DeVos Children's Hospital first opened and has grown steadily to meet the community's needs. Each year 7,600 children are admitted for inpatient care, 9,000 surgeries are performed and 39,000 children are treated in the emergency department. More than 190,000 outpatient visits to pediatric specialists occur annually. A team of more than 150 pediatric physicians in 40 pediatric specialties works with nurses, therapists and allied health specialists who have devoted their careers to caring for children. As a teaching hospital, training the next generation of pediatric experts is performed in collaboration with the Michigan State College of Human Medicine.







"Today culminates a vision turned reality as we celebrate a new home for children's health care that will house programs and services that are among the best in the country," said Richard C. Breon, president and CEO of Spectrum Health Systems. "This facility brings together physicians, researchers and staff whose entire focus is taking care of children and their families. Spectrum Health is proud to offer these services in West Michigan."



Some of the hospital's services, features and accomplishments include:

* A dedicated, pediatric emergency department caring for more than 100 children each day

* Six operating rooms, a heart catheterization laboratory and a pediatric radiology department

* One of the largest children's cancer and blood disorders programs in the nation, with more than 700 patient visits monthly, and West Michigan's only blood and bone marrow transplantation program

* The only pediatric radiology department in West Michigan, with nearly 75,000 visits a year

* The only extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine in West Michigan for life-saving treatment of babies with acute lung disease

* The nation's 10th largest neonatal center, with more than 1,200 babies admitted each year

* Spacious, 330-square-foot, private patient rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and accommodations for parents to stay overnight

* Quiet spaces throughout the building and a chapel for all faiths

* Special amenities for families such as laundry and kitchenette facilities, overnight rooms for those in crisis situations, a computer lab and a resource library



In addition to the pediatric specialists and medical equipment in the hospital, the new building also caters to the non-medical needs of a child. An outdoor garden is accessible through the main lobby restaurant, which features fresh salads, pizza cooked in a stone-hearth oven, and locally-made ice cream. Areas for play and entertainment throughout the building also add to the child-friendly environment.



The hospital is filled with more than 1,500 pieces of artwork made by more than 8,000 children and teens throughout Michigan. LaFontsee Galleries of Grand Rapids coordinated the art project to create a warm, welcoming environment for children of all ages.



"It is such a joy to see the completion of the new children's hospital as a place that provides exceptional health care for children and a comfortable stay for them and their families," said the hospital's namesake, Helen DeVos. "I've been able to see first-hand, when my grandchildren and I visit patients, the quality of care and compassion that the staff consistently provide, and I'm thrilled the new facility will provide such a supportive environment."



"Helen DeVos Children's Hospital is a regional resource and a destination that families travel to from all directions to get care for their ill or injured children," concluded Matt Van Vranken, executive vice president, Spectrum Health System, and president, Spectrum Health Systems Hospital Group. "The children's hospital already serves most of the counties in Michigan because of our specialists and the programs we have pioneered. Spectrum Health, along with the entire community, has made a significant investment in children's health care for generations to come."



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Helen DeVos Children's Hospital by Spectrum Health; 100 Michigan St. NE, Grand Rapids, Mich.



* Owner: Spectrum Health Systems; Grand Rapids, Mich.



* Architects:



- Jonathan Bailey Design, LLC; Dallas



- Rockwell Group; New York



* Consulting Architect, MEP Engineer of Record: URS Corporation; New York



* General contractor: Turner Construction Company; Detroit



* Construction Management: Wolverine Building Group; Grand Rapids, Mich.



* Specialty contractor – glazing and metal panels: Architectural Glass and Metals, Inc.; Byron Center, Mich.



* Metal panel system - manufacturer: Architectural Metals Inc.; Portland, Mich.



* Metal panel system – finisher: Linetec; Wausau, Wis.



* Photographer: Eric De Witt, Lucid Architecture; Zeeland, Mich.



Learn more about Linetec and its finishing services at www.linetec.com or calling 888-717-1472. Linetec will be exhibiting in booth #2230 at the AIA 2011 National Convention and Design Exposition.