Craig Hospital
Expansion and Renovation
Providing rehabilitation excellence for people affected by spinal cord and traumatic brain injury, Craig Hospital is one of the top ten rehabilitation hospitals, treating more spinal cord patients than any other facility in the nation.
Denver, Colorado
Craig Hospital
RTA Architects
244,000
Enhancing patient care with state-of-the-art facilities
The Big Picture
Craig Hospital provides rehabilitation for people affected by spinal cord and traumatic brain injury patients from around the world. Since Craig patients and their families can stay for three months or more, the facilities must be a comfortable, healing environment.
The vertical addition to the existing west building and a four level horizontal addition totaled 94,000 square feet, while more than 150,000 square feet in three buildings underwent a complete renovation, resulting in 50 new private inpatient rooms, a new two-story rehabilitation center, two therapy gyms, and two rehabilitation swimming pools.
Ingenuity in Action
A patient’s average three-month length of stay combined with TBI and SCI patients’ increased sensitivity to light, sound, motion, and vibrations led the team to take additional precautions to minimize patient disruption and not intrude upon the healing process for which Craig Hospital is renowned; all while operating at full bed capacity.
- A sound buffer was provided by constructing a temporary wall outside patient windows to help reduce construction noise. Portions of the stair walls were incorporated into the design to minimize disruptions and noise generated by demolition.
- Meticulous phasing was used to allow for relocation of patients away from construction areas. Work progressed floor by floor, with each floor below the work area being vacated as the previous phase ended to provide a layer of sound protection.
- Craig staff was empowered to shut down activities at any time if a patient experienced discomfort, and the project team would immediately put together an action plan to address the concern.
The little details
- Noise, vibration, dust, and communication protocols minimized disruption to patients during construction.
- Craig Hospital has consistently ranked in the top 10 rehabilitation hospitals in the nation for 25+ years.
- Finishes were selected to support the health and wellness of the patients, families, and staff.
