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MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Case Study

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MedStar Georgetown University Hospital: Designing the Medical and Surgical Pavilion

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Built EnvironmentBuilt Environment

Industry

Hospitals & Medical Centers

Location

United States

MedStar Georgetown University Hospital needed an expanded emergency room big enough to save more lives, but quiet enough for private conversations — all while building in a densely populated residential neighborhood. Extensive monitoring was required to protect neighbors from disruptive construction noise.

Challenge

The guiding question when designing the new MedStar Georgetown University Hospital was: How can we make our emergency room big enough to save more lives, yet quiet enough for private conversations?

Located in a highly populated residential area, Cerami performed extensive monitoring to ensure noise disturbances to the surrounding community were kept at a minimum. Construction noise monitoring on site was particularly challenging due to the size of the site and its proximity to the surrounding community and residents’ townhouses.

 

Solutions

Our team of experts provided careful acoustic design criteria for the project. In addition, Cerami provided construction noise monitoring services for the MedStar site throughout all phases of construction. To combat disruption from the additional trucks, sifters and debris, the Cerami team conducted extensive sound studies on off-site batch plants. Through our findings, we were able to create 3-D models to present to stakeholders demonstrating the impact and associated mitigation strategies. Some of our noise mitigation strategies included the evaluation of equipment and the recommendation of less noisy alternatives, the implementation of physical noise barriers around the site perimeter, and when residents opted in, the direct installation of noise-reducing window treatments to surrounding homes. The key to our noise monitoring approach was transparent communication and stakeholder collaboration.

Services Performed

The team developed detailed acoustic designs for sensitive hospital spaces and conducted full-site construction noise monitoring. They modeled sound impacts with 3D visualizations, recommended quieter equipment, and installed physical noise barriers and noise-reducing window treatments for neighbors. Stakeholder communication and reporting were coordinated throughout the project.

Results

The finished product is an environment that prioritizes patient privacy in sensitive spaces with minimized external noise disturbances. Through monitoring efforts at all stages of construction, the Cerami project team was able to avoid noise-induced scheduling delays, ensuring the project stayed on track and on budget. The community noted how the monitoring program was an effective tool to manage expectations and expressed their gratitude for all your hard work and attention to detail on the project.