Samaritan Medical Center Women's Wellness and Breast Care

Client: Samaritan Medical Center | Location: Watertown, New York | Completion Date: 2019 | Services Provided: Architectural, Structural Engineering, Civil Engineering Land Surveying

Samaritan Medical Center was awarded $9.8 million in grant funding from NYS Healthcare Facility Transformation to transform 33,350 sf of its 91,000 sf Medical Office Building on outer Washington Street into a new outpatient Comprehensive Healthcare Center.  It expands upon the multitude of outpatient medical services offered at the plaza location.  Those services include Woman to Woman, gynecology, obstetrics, breast health and related radiology, stereotactic and testing services, which are currently housed in various locations around the community. Additionally, this will provide space for Samaritan to grow new wellness, prevention and education programs.  The project also includes a new entry lobby facade, 4 acres of parking lot reconstruction, 1.1 acre parking lot expansion, stormwater management, water and sewer upgrades and utility infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the new services at the 19 acre plaza property.

Aubertine and Currier played a crucial role in the original grant process by providing a conceptual floor plan layout of potential spaces and photorealistic renderings of the proposed construction. This was performed under a highly expedited grant submission deadline. Aubertine and Currier’s role in this grant process helped SMC procure the funding needed to make this project come to fruition. The resulting facility now houses a variety of services including Gynecological and pregnancy care, 3d mammography, ultrasound services, stereotactic breast biopsies, lab and x-ray services with a radiologist and breast surgeon on site. All of these services are provided under a single roof with a pristine, spa-like atmosphere aimed at improving patient comfort.

Aubertine and Currier teamed up with S/L/A/M Architects in designing the project. Our team worked successfully with one another during the initial programming and planning of the Women’s Wellness Breast Care buildout. The initial tasks consisted of pre-design layout of the building, programming of spaces to suit the client’s needs, and site layout to accommodate the increased patient load and site flow. These variables were then developed further into a design development stage where final building and site layout were established. During this phase the major building systems were selected as well as the interior finish materials.

Aubertine and Currier took the lead on the project as it entered the construction documents phase. It was during this phase that the building’s details were explored and fine-tuned in preparation for contractor bidding. Our tasks included construction level plans and details for the site work layout, structural improvements and modifications, and architectural components. Aubertine and Currier oversaw a variety of sub-consultants that included mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and fire protection engineers.

Aubertine and Currier oversaw the bidding process upon completion of construction documents. The project was bid out under Purcell Construction as the Construction Manager. Our role included distributing documents to the contractors and responding to contractor inquiries. Aubertine and Currier then reviewed the subcontractors’ bids and delivered them to the construction manager for compilation.

Construction began in December 2018. During construction, Aubertine and Currier acted as the construction administrator for the project, processing submittals, reviewing shop drawings, responding to field questions, reviewing payment applications, reviewing change proposals, processing change orders to the contract and performing on-site observations and SWPPP inspections. Interior construction was completed in November 2019 at which time Aubertine and Currier worked closely with Samaritan Medical Center personnel to perform inspection walkthroughs of the completed work and project close out.