Catholic Health leaders, elected officials, representatives from the Diocese of Buffalo, business and community leaders for a ceremonial groundbreaking at the site of the new 140,000 square-foot Administrative and Regional Training Center on Wednesday. The facility at Genesee and Oak streets will serve as Catholic Health's administrative headquarters and will feature a regional training center that will serve as a resource to both Catholic Health and the community for a wide range of healthcare and healthcare-related training.
"This is an exciting day for Catholic Health, the City of Buffalo and the entire Western New York Community as we move forward in building a state-of-the-art facility that will allow us to achieve the administrative efficiencies essential to a high-performing healthcare system," said Joe McDonald, President and CEO for Catholic Health.
"This project is much more than a handsome addition to the cityscape, it's an environment that promotes innovation and collaboration, a resource that enables training and education for the community, and a home to approximately 700 of the best healthcare professionals in the region - professionals who will add to the vibrant fabric of life in downtown buffalo," McDonald added.
"The continuation of the mission of Catholic Health is vital to this community. It is a mission that serves everyone, regardless of faith, income, or race; it is a mission that dates back to 1848 and the very first hospital in the City of Buffalo - Sisters of Charity Hospital; and it is a mission that truly delivers on its promise to bring the healing love of Jesus to those in need," said Bishop Richard Malone, bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo.
"We are very grateful for the support of the Mayor and our elected leaders who worked diligently at both the local and state level to obtain funding for the project, which was vital to keep this project moving forward," said McDonald.
Uniland Development Company was selected to develop and build the new facility, which will be leased to Catholic Health as the sole tenant. The administrative staff of Catholic Medical Partners will join Catholic Health at the facility in 2015. Catholic Medical Partners is an independent practice association of more than 900 area physicians who are closely aligned with Catholic Health. The move is expected to enhance collaboration on key clinical integration and quality initiatives to improve patient care across the continuum.
Buffalo-based architects Stieglitz Snyder are the lead architects for the project.
Catholic Health has achieved success in clinical quality initiatives, a patient-centered approach to care, and leveraging innovative healthcare technology to produce better outcomes. The new facility reflects an enhanced focus on improving administrative efficiencies. Catholic Health's shared services departments will reduce their footprint from 180,000 square feet across eight scattered facilities to 140,000 square feet in one location. The move is expected to save Catholic Health approximately $1 million per year for the next 25 years.
The facility will be six-stories tall and feature an attached parking garage. Along Genesee Street, the first two floors will be predominantly masony and the upper four floors with a curved glass facade are stepped back. The primary entrance with a two-story atrium will be at the corner of Genesee and Oak streets.
Consistent with Catholic Health's mission and advocacy for responsible use of natural resources, the new facility will feature a wide range of environmentally-friendly features and high-efficiency systems in an effort to achieve LEED certification. The environmental impact of the building spreads far beyond its walls with secondary impacts that include a significant reduction in vehicle traffic with associates no longer needing to travel between sites.
The project is currently being reviewed by the Buffalo Planning Board.
Turn the triangle fronting the building into a plaza. That will help bridge the building with downtown and reinforce some connectivity. It is a nice opportunity to create a pedestrian space where employees could lunch in good weather helping to activate that part of town.
As shown the space is designed with zero sensitivity to its context. Get a decent landscape architect on board.