Elliot Hospital Parking Garage

Providing outstanding medical care can be a challenge when patients face obstacles in physically and punctually arriving at the facility. The Elliot Health System, the largest provider of comprehensive healthcare services in Southern New Hampshire, faced just such a challenge. To be able to achieve their mission of wellness, healing, and compassionate service, improvements had to be made in providing patients and visitors with easier access.

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Challenge

Elliot Hospital is in the midst of building a new Cancer Center addition to its main campus in an effort to incorporate medical oncology service, thus providing more services and exceptional care for all patients under one roof. However, adding to the building footprint would mean the loss of 50 parking spots that were already in high demand. To overcome these parking deficiencies, Fuss & O’Neill designed a unique parking structure that provides increased access to and from the hospital.

Collaboration

Elliot facility officials worked with Fuss & O’Neill, the architect, and a structural engineer to design a unique parking structure that would work with the terrain, provide suitable access to each level of the facility, and meet additional on-site challenges. During construction of the parking structure, at the request of general contractor, the design-build team worked on site in the same field office one day each week to allow for hands-on collaboration and communication. This “Lean” approach to design and construction aligned the budgeting and scheduling needs of the Elliot Health System to produce the highest quality results while cutting waste in real time.

Practice Areas Involved

Design

The three-level parking structure provides independent access on each level, and allows overhead clearance to access large pipes for maintenance. Providing expansive employee parking in the new garage has allowed patients and visitors to park in the lots closest to the hospital entrances. The lower two levels of the structure can be accessed from Cypress Street, and the upper level can be accessed from a new bridge off of Elliot Way. Our team provided site planning and engineering, stormwater management services, and construction administration.

Impact

The new garage provides more parking for Elliot staff while opening up parking spots closer to the front entrance for patients and visitors. This added level of access was a necessity for one of New Hampshire’s busiest medical facilities. The added parking and access have provided immediate benefits, and will also help accommodate additional patients that will visit the 20,000 ft² Cancer Center addition, once it is fully constructed and opened.