Plunkett Raysich Architects (PRA): Earns national recognition for design of the Aspirus Wausau Hospital NICU

CONTACT: Michael H. Scherbel, AIA, NCARB, EDAC March 17th, 2011 414 410-2906

mscherbel@prarch.com

MILWAUKEE, WI – Health Facilities Management magazine announced this week at the International Summit & Exhibition for Health Facility Planning, Design & ConstructionTM (PDC) that Aspirus Wausau Hospital received the 2011 coveted VISTA Award for Renovation for the Anya Marie Jackson Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

The VISTA Award is given out in recognition of extraordinary teamwork in the realm of health care design and construction projects. The American Society for Healthcare Engineering and the American Hospital Association are also co-sponsors. Only three teams are given this annual award throughout the United States in the categories of new construction, renovation and infrastructure.

In May 2008, Aspirus Wausau Hospital selected the team of Plunkett Raysich Architects, LLP, Henneman Engineering, Inc. and Miron Construction, Inc., to design and construct a newborn intensive care unit augmenting the services offered in the existing hospital Birthing Center.

The 9,931 sq. ft. project program consisted of fourteen patient beds, staff support areas, and public and family accommodations. Panoramic views to Rib Mountain to the south provided a soothing vista and became a wayfinding orientation tool for visitors and staff alike. A single family room model was chosen to minimize risk of infection, and provide critically-ill newborns receive individualized developmental care in an environment that provides families and newborns the privacy and family- focused experience they need to bond and obtain maximum health.

“Touring existing facilities and researching design strategies as a team helped the design team understand the likes and dislikes of the hospital clinicians and get to the heart of what they wanted to achieve.”
— Michael Scherbel, AIA, NCARB, EDAC Partner-in-Charge

This project has also received LEED Gold certification, was 18% under budget and was completed within 15 months.

Modern Healthcare magazine also ranked Plunkett Raysich Architects as a Top 100 architectural firm this past week on their 2011 Construction and Design Survey.

Plunkett Raysich Architects specializes in architectural planning and design of health care, long- term care, educational, corporate/commercial, manufacturing, government, civic, religious and hospitality facilities. The firm has offices in Madison and Milwaukee.

For more information please visit us online at http://www.prarch.com, on LinkedIn, Facebook or follow us on Twitter @PRAtweets.