Challenge:

The University of Kansas Health System’s emergency department was outdated and undersized, struggling to accommodate increasing patient volumes. The scope of work incorporated the design of a new ground-level patient entry, expansion of clinical space spanning multiple floors, and integration within the existing hospital infrastructure. Unique challenges included maintaining separate patient populations, ensuring security in a high-risk urban environment, and optimizing complex patient flow patterns. Expanding the emergency department’s capacity into a secure yet accessible space, while minimizing disruption to the surrounding community and sustaining efficient hospital operations, was essential to the project’s success.

Solution:

Pulse Design Group worked with The University of Kansas Health System to design a multi-phase hospital addition to meet increased patient volume, update the Level I trauma center, and create separate but coordinated flow patterns for patients arriving via different entry points; ambulance, walk-in, and parking garage. The renovation and expansion spans four floors and includes the addition of 52 emergency treatment rooms, three trauma rooms, a CT suite, and an MRI suite. The design improves the hospital's functionality while offering patients and visitors a modern and welcoming environment. To continue providing exceptional patient care, the emergency department was constructed in multiple phases with minimal impact on existing department operations.