Benjamin Davenny
Healthcare | Market Leader
Principal
The Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care is the first health care building of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) new South Campus. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the new Center will enable smoother and more efficient visits, provide a hub for comprehensive medical services and grow the capacity of CHOP to meet the most complex pediatric health needs from across the country and around the world.
The center’s 700,000 SF over twelve floors is comprised of clinical spaces, waiting areas, dining center, physical therapy gym, and a 14,000 SF roof garden. Acentech provided architectural acoustics and mechanical systems noise and vibration consulting services for the entire building.
Acentech reviewed mechanical systems to ensure that the exterior sound levels were suitable, and that interior sound levels would meet the hospital’s requirements for patient and employee comfort. Acentech also provided recommendations for room finishes to control sound build-up, and assisted with meeting speech privacy goals. Acentech’s consultants collaborated with the design team to control sound transmission between adjacent spaces, particularly the MRI suites and the fifth floor therapy gymnasium. Sound and vibration isolation of the MRI suite required careful coordination with the architects and structural engineers.
The Buerger Center is located between existing buildings on the campus of CHOP, and exterior sound levels were carefully controlled, particularly at the 6th floor roof, where an acoustical barrier was recommended to reduce sounds from mechanical equipment at the adjacent Colket Research building.
