Joseph Horesco
Principal
Acentech is providing acoustics consulting to Ballinger on the 1.3 million SF, 30-story Roberts Children’s Health inpatient tower, part of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHoP) complex.
When completed in 2028, the new tower will house state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment rooms, cutting-edge technology, and expanded inpatient capability. The Roberts complex will encompass more than 700 fully private rooms, designed to meet each child’s individual needs in a healing environment that is designed to feel like home. A new Family Amenities Suite will provide quiet spaces for meditation, confidential meetings and mental health support, as well as lounges, a pantry, a fitness area, and spaces for remote work.
To ensure patients, doctors, and families have the acoustic privacy needed for specialty care, restful healing and private consultations, Acentech’s team is focusing on sound isolation constructions and acoustical treatment recommendations for sensitive spaces. We are guiding the design team in addressing building vibration concerns with MRIs and other imaging equipment (which can interfere with image quality); and designing isolation systems for the MRIs to keep airborne noise and structural vibrations from interfering with operating rooms and other sensitive spaces.
Acentech is addressing environmental noise associated with nearby medivac flight paths, which informs the building façade design. The building’s internal mechanical systems are also being carefully reviewed, such as substations, generators, air moving devices and other necessary equipment to operate a large building. Managing the noise from this equipment is crucial to providing quiet and calm spaces for patients and their families.
Having teamed with Ballinger on the CHoP Roberts Center for Pediatric Research, the Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care, and the King of Prussia ambulatory care building, Acentech is excited to continue supporting CHoP’s mission of excellence.
