The St. Louis area will have a lot to celebrate this December. Construction will be complete on both the new Interstate 64 and the BJC Institute of Health at Washington University.
Courtesy Photo
The enclosing of the BJC Institute of Health at Washington University in brick, limestone and glass should be completed later this month.
The 11-story, 700,000-square-foot BJC Institute of Health will be the hub for BioMed 21, the University’s initiative to speed scientific discovery and apply breakthroughs to patient care rapidly. It also eventually will house Barnes-Jewish Hospital support operations, potentially dietary services, clinical laboratories and pharmacies. WUSTL researchers will begin occupying the building and continue their quest to uncover new treatments and cures.
Enclosing of the building in brick, limestone and glass is under way and should be completed this month. The concrete has been poured for what will become a scenic plaza for medical center staff and physicians and the general community to enjoy. Crews are putting the finishing touches on the service road, which will lead from Taylor Avenue to the underground loading docks. For the remainder of 2009, work will shift to finishing the interior as well as to building the plaza and streetscape.
The School of Medicine laboratories are designed to be open to facilitate teamwork and interaction. A two-story lobby with a glass entryway will lead into the building.
The Barnes-Jewish Hospital floors will be left as flexible shell space for the hospital to develop in the future.