Maine Medical Center / Photos courtesy of Anton Grassl
Portland, ME – The Susan Donnell Konkel and Susan Gibson Pavilions – two new bed floors atop the Coulombe Family Tower at Maine Medical Center (MMC) – are now open, delivering 64 single-patient rooms dedicated to surgical and medical oncology care. Patients and staff began moving into the new facility in mid-December and will continue through early 2020.
Realizing a Long-Term Vision
In the face of growing inpatient demand, MMC partnered with Perkins and Will to identify the most efficient way to privatize rooms and increase bed capacity in the short- and long- term. The immediate solution, a vertical addition atop Coulombe Tower, has enabled the hospital to grow bed capacity without disrupting or displacing any other departments on campus. The new patient rooms can accommodate a range of clinical needs up to ICU-level care, which will give MMC the ability to adjust departmental size and location over time.
Also complete are two new helipads, which will replace the single existing helipad atop the Gilman Street Garage. By doubling medevac and air ambulance capacity, MMC is better positioned to serve its patients in remote areas of New England.
Both the Coulombe Tower expansion and the new helipads are part of MMC’s ongoing $534 million campus expansion and modernization project. The next phase of implementation includes the Congress Street Development, a new 280,000sf tower that will drastically increase MMC’s inpatient capacity by offering 64 single-patient beds and 19 highly adaptable surgical and procedural suites.
Human-Centered Design
The traditional bed floor configuration – a square or rectangular nursing core with patient rooms lining the perimeter – has been divided by diagonal corridors that lead to community lounge spaces, each with direct views to the Portland Harbor, the White Mountains, or the Fore River.
