Central Corridor

The video below is a product of BJC's call for inspiration regarding the future of the Central West End medical campus. nextSTL previously looked at what $1,200,000,000 might buy over the next decade or so and needless to say, the visions below are, ahem...a little more refined. Together with further development of CORTEX to the east, the area is set to see transformative change in the very near future.

As reported in the St. Louis Business Journal, designs from the three teams were unveiled today. A gallery on the medical campus is open for individuals to preview images, portfolios, models and video of concepts presented by three design groups. According to a press release, the gallery is open from 7-9 a.m. Tuesdays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesdays or 2-4 p.m. Thursdays through Dec. 22. Representatives of BJC’s planning, design and construction department will be available to answer questions about the gallery and the campus planning process.



To be clear, this is not a design competition and no final designs are being presented. "The purpose was to spark new ideas about improving the medical center and enhancing the experience of patients, visitors, employees and neighbors in the next 10 years and beyond," said Bob Cannon, BJC group president in a press release. "The process was not a competition, and no specific buildings have been planned. But the possibilities the teams presented were inspirational and thought-provoking."

The following email was sent to WU/BJC medical campus employees this past week:

Dear Colleagues:

Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine have joined together to establish a long-term plan to guide the future redevelopment of our campus.

One of our goals is to enhance the experience for our patients, visitors, employees and neighbors who come to our campus each day or once a year or just once in a lifetime. Our location in a vibrant urban setting is an asset, and this planning process will provide a unique opportunity to reflect the world class medical care, research and teaching that Barnes-Jewish, St. Louis Children’s and the School of Medicine are known for, as well as enhance the reputation of the campus as a significant regional asset.

The planning process is comprehensive and will invite and include input from members of our campus, as well as from members of the surrounding communities.

Over the next year, we anticipate a great deal of collaboration as we continue to provide excellent care to our patients in an environment that is reflective of our missions. To assist us, we issued a Request for Inspiration to the architectural community and have selected three highly respected architectural teams to develop “inspirational frameworks” to help guide the future plans for our campus.

While no specific buildings are being designed at this time, these frameworks will consider current and future buildings, as well as the urban area in which we are located and the way our campus is experienced by patients, families, employees, neighbors and visitors. We want to improve each of these aspects of our campus, but we also want to better define and establish our campus as an inviting environment that is easier to navigate.

The initial work of the architectural teams is set to be completed by November 18, 2011, and we will share more information about this process as the work continues.

In the meantime, if you want to learn more about the teams, we invite you to visit their websites, which are included below. We look forward to regularly sharing more information with you about this planning process over the next few months.

Thank you for your continued support and for all you do for our patients and their families.

Sincerely,

Richard Liekweg Lee Fetter Jim Crane, MD
President President CEO of WU Physicians FPP
Barnes-Jewish Hospital St. Louis Children’s Hospital WUSM

Architectural Teams
Cannon Design, Civitas, Inc., Pelli Clarke Pelli
http://www.cannondesign.com/
http://www.pcparch.com/
http://www.civitasinc.com/

Stantec, Sasaki, Foster + Partners
http://www.stantec.com/default.htm
http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Practice/Default.aspx
http://www.sasaki.com/

Skidmore Owings & Merrill
http://www.som.com/