Baptist West Tower Expansion
Location:
Jackson, MS
Project Summary
The new West Tower Expansion will serve as the hospital’s cardiovascular center and women’s centers with additional space allocated for physician’s offices. The new tower is six stories tall adding 207,000-square feet to the existing facility. There are 192 caissons placed to an average depth of 37 feet. The lower level concrete slab is elevated approximately six feel off grade, leaving a crawl space with a mud slab to house utilities. Above this, the project turns to a conventional 1,182 ton structural steel frame, with 1518 squares of both painted and galvanized metal deck to support the floor slabs. There are three concrete stair towers with steel stairs and handrail and two elevator towers, which run up through the roof and serve as shear walls. A mechanical penthouse on the roof houses the air handling units for the third, fourth and fifth levels. Exterior skin elements include pre-cast, EIFS, and curtain wall.
The new tower ties into the existing medical center with a three story, 109 foot long structural steel connector bridge. The connector bridge is comprised of two 25-ton steel trusses. The steel trusses and related framing for the connector bridge were set in place with a 500-ton hydraulic crane and guyed off to the existing third floor structure with 1” diameter wire ropes located at various areas of the bridge at each level.
In addition to the main tower a canopy system for woman’s center, the cardiovascular center, and the main entrance were constructed of structural steel with an architecturally exposed finish. Structural steel pedestrian walkways from the existing parking deck to the new entrance were constructed as well.
