Description:

The HARLEM HOSPITAL CENTER Major Modernization Project will renovate the existing Martin Luther King Pavilion, and construct a new pavilion on Lenox Avenue that will connect the King Pavilion to the Ron Brown Ambulatory Care Pavilion to create one unified healthcare complex.  The new pavilion will include a new emergency department, surgery department, diagnostic and treatment services, a critical care suite and a modern radiology center.  The modernization will unify the hospital campus, which currently comprises seven buildings over two blocks; renovate the inpatient bed tower; provide a garage for use by the hospital community; build a new FDNY Emergency Medical Service (EMS) garage; and provide an overall patient-friendly and staff-efficient environment.  Included in the modernization plan for Harlem Hospital is the restoration of priceless WPA-era art murals, which are housed in the existing Harlem Hospital Center campus. 
The restored murals will become the centerpiece of the design and the inspiration for the new face of the hospital. The vision for the project is to design and build a new hospital, which will reflect Harlem's unique legacy and cultural heritage and to create a new landmark that will be recognized around the world.  The design, by HOK Architects, has already received a 2005 Design Award of Honor from the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. 

The proposed design for the new pavilion features a lobby gallery, in which the historic murals will be displayed, visible to passers-by on Lenox Avenue.  The proposed five-story main lobby atrium, will also provide display space for other artwork.  The most stunning element of the proposed design, however, is the fritted-glass five-story facade, which will feature imagery replicated from the hospital's WPA-era murals

HOK, which had also developed the master plan for the campus over a year ago, conceived a unique design that successfully embodied the goals of the project: to create an identity for the venerable institution and the surrounding community, while, at the same time, reflecting the vision of a new Harlem Hospital that both looks forward to future while embracing its venerable past.

Harlem Hospital is a teaching institution affiliated with the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University.  The hospital's residency program is a national leader in the training of African-American physicians.  Harlem Hospital treats nearly 80,000 emergency room cases annually and more than 320,000 patients use the hospital’s clinics.  Harlem Hospital is home to a nationally recognized Asthma Center, one of only six such clinical research centers in the country; and the award-winning model Tuberculosis Clinic is one of only three in the U.S.  Since 1992, the clinic has helped reduce active tuberculosis cases in Harlem by 75%. Recently, Harlem Hospital's AIDS physicians were central in winning a $125 million grant from Columbia University to expand HIV service programs throughout Africa.  Recently, the hospital was successfully surveyed by the Joint Commission (JCAHO).

HEALTHCARE DESIGN