ESD has been involved with a number of high-rise healthcare facilities. But with the 1.2 million-square-foot Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, new engineering concepts were needed.
Randall Ehret explains how ESD overcame challenges in its design for the $550-million structure (formerly known as the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) in his article “Designing for Human Ability” in Medical Construction & Design magazine. He discusses how flexible and reliable mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection concepts were applied across the facility, one that is both a hospital and a second home for patients.