UC San Diego Medical Center has taken the next step toward building a new inpatient tower on its East Campus-La Jolla location by selecting Cannon Design, an internationally ranked architectural, engineering and planning firm, to lead the project. Cannon Design is recognized as one of the design industry leaders in academic medical centers, with a particular emphasis on cancer care.
Pending final approval by the University of California, Board of Regents, the new inpatient tower is expected to break ground in 2012 with a completion date of 2015. The project will double the capacity of the 119-bed Thornton Hospital allowing the hospital to operate all of its 505 licensed beds, which is not possible today due to facility limitations.
“The vibrant San Diego region is seeing its population both grow and age,” said Rich Liekweg, chief executive officer for UC San Diego Medical Center. “The new tower will offer San Diegans access to a unique combination of clinical innovation and compassionate care that can only be experienced at an academic medical center.”
UC San Diego’s long-term objective is to build a major University Medical Center on the East Campus in proximity to the School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, to better integrate the University’s extensive clinical programs and regional specialty centers with its educational and biomedical research programs.
“We are very excited for our team to have been selected for this important project,” said Scott Reed, AIA, principal, West Coast and Pacific Northwest regional market and practice leader at Cannon Design.
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Media Contact: Jackie Carr, 619-543-6163, jcarr@ucsd.edu