While our office, like many others during these unprecedented times amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, has adapted to working remotely in the hopes of preserving the health and safety of our staff, we remain dedicated to continually meet the many needs of our clients.
di Domenico + Partners has been tasked with developing design and construction build-out services for medical facilities at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. This process will transition the facility into a temporary hospital as directed by the Governor’s Office and the Javits Center. With the New York Healthcare System becoming increasingly overwhelmed, these dD+P designed treatment areas ensure that necessary medical care can go to as many citizens as possible throughout the duration of this crisis.
dD+P has a deep understanding of the Javits Center and its infrastructure, having led multiple renovations throughout the facility and providing owner’s representation on various additions and the current expansion. During this unparalleled endeavor and under the leadership of the Governor’s Office and Javits Center, we have been working with the US Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, the National Guard, the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, the NYS Department of Health, and NYC Emergency Management. Our studio’s approach in this process has been to take the emergency and temporary hospital program requirements, outlined by FEMA and the NYS Department of Health, and translate them into an interim medical facility coordinated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. These guidelines have been meticulously quality-checked such that all admitted patients are cared for effectively and comfortably.
dD+P’s prior healthcare experience has included various clients including Con Ed, in their post 9/11 medical and testing facilities. Over the course of this outbreak, we have acted swiftly with Javits Center leadership to understand the situation’s complex medical programming and develop designs accordingly. Initially intended to be a non-COVID-19 healthcare facility, it will now accept both COVID and non-COVID patients, a change requiring quick adaptation in design. Having previously worked on disaster relief projects with public institutions following Superstorm Sandy and 9/11, we have cultivated the insight to act immediately in the wake of a crisis, helping those affected find a road back to equilibrium through architecture.
Predicting the events and client needs still to come will be next to impossible, but within that uncertainty, dD+P remains determined to meet whatever challenges may arise for our clients. We are honored to be developing these medical facilities in support of our community and inspired by the acts of others who have stepped up and sacrificed so much in providing critical services to those in need. Thank you to our healthcare workers, thank you to our essential employees, thank you to the Governor’s Office and the state and local leaders who are working hard to protect our safety. Our primary studio tenet remains paramount now more than ever: we aspire to provide responsive and responsible design solutions that are meaningful to our clients and their ultimate users.
Stay strong and stay safe,
Andrew Berger, AIA, ASLA
Managing Partner
di Domenico + Partners
