Syracuse, NY — The firm picked by state officials to design Upstate University Hospital’s new $450 million emergency room annex is based in Buffalo and has a wealth of hospital experience.
CannonDesign, with headquarters in Buffalo, was picked by state officials Tuesday to draw up plans for the expanded ER and burn unit. The annex will take the place of several Upstate Medical University buildings across East Adams Street from the current ER, which is too small and too outdated to handle current traffic volumes.
It hasn’t been decided how big the new ER might be or how many floors the new annex might be. But bringing a design team onboard is a step in figuring out exactly what Upstate can afford within the $450 million budget approved by the state legislature.
“CannonDesign will lead the architecture and engineering design with a team of diverse sub-consultants,” company spokesman Chris Whitcomb said in a statement. Cannon will also provide consulting services for the project.
State and hospital officials would not say Tuesday how much the state was paying CannonDesign, but Upstate President Dr. Mantosh Dewan has previously speculated it could cost up to $50 million to plan and design the new annex.
CannonDesign has 1,400 employees and 19 offices, with experience drawing plans that run the gamut of public spaces, from college football stadiums to hospitals. Based in Buffalo, it has worked with state government before, including the design of a $180 million innovation center at the University at Albany.
Perhaps the project closest to Upstate’s new annex was the 2019 design for a new ER and surgical suite at a Miami-area hospital. That design boasted a 7-story, hurricane-proof tower for $275 million.
Upstate won’t have to worry about hurricanes. But the Syracuse project will include other pricey features, including a Level 1 trauma center that serves a region stretching from Canada to Pennsylvania, as well as a burn unit for patients from across Upstate New York.
Upstate doctors and leaders are in the process of touring other hospitals to decide what features they’d like to see in Syracuse. That research will likely help CannonDesign come up with some concrete plans.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office did not provide a timeline as part of Tuesday’s announcement, but the governor has previously told syracuse.com that she planned to have a point person who could update her regularly on the project. That could help usher the project through the approvals process, which includes obtaining a certificate of need by a state health facilities board.
The hospital’s CEO, Dr. Robert Corona, alluded to a timeline that ensures the ER is ready to support expected growth from the Micron project.
“With the unprecedented growth earmarked for our region in the coming years, this project ensures Upstate is ready to meet our community’s future health-care needs in a world-class facility,” Corona said in a news release, adding later: “We look forward to working side-by-side with Cannon Design and Architecture on building this much-needed facility.”