Showing posts with label HMS Architects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HMS Architects. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Construction Completed at the Ochsner PT and Primary Care Clinic at Bellemeade



The Ochsner PT and Primary Care Clinic at Bellemeade has been substantially completed by Clement Building Company on September 1st, 2016, for  Ochsner Health Systems in Terrytown, Louisiana.

This former K&B, an existing tilt-up concrete and steel framed building building consists of 19,043 SF of built area, on one floor with a mechanical mezzanine, and contains both a primary care clinic and a separate physical therapy clinic under the same roof.

The physical therapy clinic consists of  a 5500 SF gymnasium, full of equipment and therapy tables, as well as five 100 SF treatment rooms.  The suite also includes a waiting area, which is able to see the activity in the gym, but is shielded from the noise by an interior storefront wall.  There is also a custom reception desk that opens to both the waiting room and to the gymnasium, through the glass wall.  There is also a pediatrics room to treat children.

Since the Primary Care clinic is so large, it is designed specifically to be easy to navigate for patients.  The 26 exam rooms of the overall clinic have been arranged into two color-coded sub-clinics, and the hallways have been opened up to the existing high roof deck above.  The subtly color-coded cores of these sub clinics are the nurse stations, which are clustered around the doctor pods, secluded areas where doctors can collaborate with the nurses and one another in relative privacy, with most of the supplies and service spaces that all the caregivers will need located nearby. These two color coded service pods are visible from all hallways within that large, open, simplified volume, which makes it incredibly easy for patients to orient themselves within the large clinic.

The primary care clinic includes an X-ray suite, 23 regular exam rooms, one bariatric exam room, 2 large exam rooms, a shared/E-visit room, a conference room that can double as an exam room, a two-seat blood draw room, a point-of-care testing facility, a medications room, several enclosed offices for supervisors and scheduling needs, and plenty of storage.  The waiting room is enclosed by interior storefront, allowing views and an open feel to both the other waiting room, as well as the activity and dynamism within the gymnasium.

Despite the large footprint of the overall project, there were difficulties during design in fitting the extensive program within the building.  Careful analysis of the contents and usage of each room with the users helped us to massage the layout until all of the desired features could be accommodated.  One innovative technique we used was to install several single-stall restrooms, instead of large multi-stall restrooms.   This allowed us to have a smaller overall square footage of restroom area, by reducing the interior circulation space within the restrooms.  Making the restrooms unisex also allowed us to have fewer fixtures overall, as anyone can use any restroom.

Construction took  5 Months, since March 31st, 2016.  Including the 5 Months of design, the entire length of the project has been 11 months.

The final building cost of the project was $2.7 million, or $144/SF.  Change orders were kept below 3% of the bid cost.

We thank Ochsner Health Systems  and Clement Building Company for working with us on the project, and wish them the best in the future.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Renovations to St. Joseph’s Hall at Notre Dame are Complete




St Joseph's Hall at Notre Dame Seminary has been substantially completed by FH Myers Construction on July 22nd, 2016 for the Archdiocese of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana.


St Joseph's Hall is an existing historic 4-story, 63,300 SF masonry student housing building at Notre Dame Seminary, a repeat client for HMS. We had previously renovated the 4000 square-foot auditorium in this building and are continuing to do work on campus. In this project, HMS worked with the Archdiocese to rearrange the 36 student dormitories and 21 faculty dormitories into more contemporary suites. The design solution created adjoining rooms with a shared bathroom. The rooms can be utilized individually or paired together to create a suite for faculty full-time residence. Several suites are set aside for visiting priests to stay while in town. In addition, the renovation included 5 classrooms, including one computer lab and practicum space. The existing chapel was relocated from a central rotunda to a more secluded cathedral-ceiling space on the top floor, with the rotunda turned into an easily-accessed student lounge. Finally, we reconfigured the ad-hoc office area to a deliberately designed, 31 office administrative suite.

The historic nature of the building and its close proximity to the seminary building meant the design team had to approach our work with sensitivity to the character of the original design and compliment the existing materials and craftsmanship.  To that end, the decision was made to refurbish the existing wood windows, salvage much of the existing interior masonry partitions, and create a custom wood baseboard detail that seamlessly integrates new power and data to each dorm room.  In a similar way, we reconfigured the previously retrofitted air conditioning system to be able to raise the hallway ceiling almost back to its original height, while still accommodating the lighting, air conditioning, plumbing, and new sprinkler systems.

The entire project was completed in 27 months including 15 months of construction. The project was opened in Aptil 2015 only one day behind the original project schedule, and well in advance of arriving students for the fall semester.  The project was also completed well under budget.

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

The Lakewood Elementary School Building A Renovations are Substantially Complete



The Lakewood Elementary School Building A Renovations were completed by Dynamic Constructors in late July, for St Charles Parish Public Schools, in Luling, Louisiana.

This existing steel-framed, concrete block building consists of 26,700 SF of renovated area, all on the first floor. The renovation modified a large shared classroom area, separated by temporary partitions, and split the area into 19 new classrooms and a teacher work area suite. Meeting the owner's desire for durable materials in this demanding education environment the design team used high-impact gypsum board on metal stud framing for the new walls.  This project also included new ceilings, and floor finishes, as well as adapting the existing mechanical and electrical equipment to the new layout with new light fixtures and ducts.  Overall, the project ended up costing $51/SF.

Working with the owner's desire to not lose any space during the school year the project was designed to have construction occur over the summer months when students would not be in class. Construction started after completion of the spring semester in May 2016 and was completed just ahead of schedule, allowing the owners ample time to re-occupy the space and prepare for the fall semester.

The final building cost of the project is more than 20% under the original budget, both due to a good bid at the outset, and by diligent construction administration, keeping the change orders well within 1% of the overall bid cost.

We thank St Charles Parish Public Schools and Dynamic Constructors for working with us on this successful project, and wish them the best in the future.


Wednesday, June 1, 2016

The Allemands Elementary School Classroom Addition is Substantially Complete




The Allemands Elementary School Classroom Addition has been substantially completed by F. J. Arcement Construction Co. Inc. on May 2nd, 2016, for St Charles Parish Public Schools, in Des Allemands, Louisiana.

This brick-clad, steel-framed, metal stud building consists of 6230 SF of additional built area added onto a 27,000 SF existing building, both all on one floor.   The addition contains 4 additional classrooms, including an art classroom, as well as a work room, restrooms, and support spaces.  The building cost about $175 per square foot overall.

Construction took 11 Months, since June 8, 2015, and has been substantially completed ahead of schedule.  Including the 9 Months of design, the entire length of the project has been 20 months.

The final building cost of the project was within 10% of the original budget, which was helped by finding about 1% of savings via change orders by careful construction administration.

We thank St Charles Parish Public Schools and F. J. Arcement for working with us on the project, and wish them the best in the future.



Thursday, March 31, 2016

Construction Has Begun on the Ochsner Primary Care and Physical Therapy Clinic at Bellemeade


Clement Building Company began constriction on the Ochsner PT and Primary Care Clinic at Bellemeade on March 31st, 2016.    HMS had previously finished the drawings and specifications for the clinic for Ochsner Health Systems, on schedule after 5 months of design work.

This former K&B, an existing tilt-up concrete and steel framed building building consists of 19,043 SF of built area, on one floor with a mechanical mezzanine, and contains both a primary care clinic and a separate physical therapy clinic under the same roof.

The physical therapy clinic consists of a 5500 SF gymnasium, full of equipment and therapy tables, as well as five 100 SF treatment rooms.  The suite also includes a waiting area, which is able to see the activity in the gym, but is shielded from the noise by an interior storefront wall.  There is also a custom reception desk that opens to both the waiting room and to the gymnasium, through the glass wall.  There is also a pediatrics room to treat children.

The primary care clinic includes an X-ray suite, 23 regular exam rooms, one bariatric exam room, 2 large exam rooms, a shared/E-visit room, a conference room that can double as an exam room, a two-seat blood draw room, a point-of-care testing facility, a medications room, several enclosed offices for supervisors and scheduling needs, and plenty of storage.  The waiting room is enclosed by interior storefront, allowing views and an open feel to both the other waiting room, as well as the activity and dynamism within the gymnasium.

More information about the Ochsner Clinic at Bellemeade
More information about HMS-designed Healthcare work
More information about the Bellemeade clinic at Ochsner's website
More information about the Clement Building Company

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Lakewood Elementary School Interior Renovation Construction Underway

St Charles Parish Public Schools received bids for Lakewood elementary school interior renovation on January 12, 2016.  HMS had previously finished the drawings and specifications for Building for St Charles Parish Public Schools, on schedule after 5 months of design work.

The Lakewood Elementary School Building A Renovations consist of 26,756 SF of renovated area, all on the first floor, and this renovation modifies a large shared classroom area, separated by temporary partitions, splitting the area into 19 new classrooms and a teacher work area suite, using high-impact gypsum board on metal stud framing, for durability in the demanding educational environment.

When including all alternates, the five bids ranged from $1.4M to $1.9M. within 35% of each other, reflecting the uncertainty of renovation projects.  The winning bid was for $1,401,000, or $51 per square foot, which is under budget by $399,000 or more than 20%.  This difference allowed all alternates to be accepted within the budget.

The winning Contractor, Dynamic Constructors ,  is expected to begin work in late May, for a contract length of 60 days, expecting to finish by the start of school.  We look forward to working with St Charles Parish Public Schools and Dynamic Constructors for the months ahead.

More Information about the Lakewood Elementary School Building A Renovations

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Tulane Catholic Center is Substantially Complete


The Tulane Catholic Center has been completed on August 7th, 2015 by F. H. Meyers construction. This three-story, 8,400 square foot building is constructed with a rain screen siding system on structural metal studs. This building contains a social area, a chapel with a sacristy, a conference room, two classrooms, and a small library with a study room.



Construction took about a year, starting in August of 2014, and has been completed in August of 2015. The final building cost of the project was approximately two million dollars.

The grand opening will occur on Friday August 21st, 2015. We thank the Archdiocese of New Orleans and F. H. Meyers for working with us on the project, and wish them the best in the future.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Lafayette Cemeteries No. One and Two Caretaker Cottages Construction Underway


Cottage Rendering
The City of New Orleans received bids for the Lafayette Cemetery No. One and Two Caretaker Cottages on January 27th 2015. HMS had previously finished the drawings and specifications for cottage replacement for the City of New Orleans Capital Projects Administration after months of design work.

These one story cottages consist of, one 162 SF cottage and another 250 SF cottage. Both with an exterior of cement lap board siding, which mimics the preexisting historic buildings.

The winning Contractor, MST Enterprises, began in June 2015, and is scheduled to be completed by November 2015.

More about HMS Projects on the Boards
More about City of New Orleans


Wednesday, August 5, 2015

The St Bernard Multipurpose Building is Substantially Complete

The Archdiocese of New Orleans received bids for the St. Bernard Archbishop Hannan Multipurpose Building on May 21st 2015. This metal building consists of 3,450 SF of enclosed area and 550 SF of covered area.

The winning Contractor, Boasso Construction, began work in August, with a contract time of about a year, and is expecting to finish by June 2016.  We look forward to working with Archdiocese of New Orleans and Boasso Construction for the months ahead.

More about HMS Projects on the Boards
More about HMS Residential Projects
More about Archdiocese of New Orleans
More about Boasso Construction, LLC





Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Allemands Elementary School Construction is Underway



On May 20, 2015, St Charles Parish Public Schools accepted a bid for the Allemands Elementary School Classroom Addition in Des Allemands, Louisiana.  HMS had previously finished the drawings and specifications on schedule for St Charles Parish Public Schools, in order to promptly bid the project, and start construction on time.

This brick-clad, steel-framed, metal stud building consists of 6230 SF of additional built area added onto a 27,000 SF existing building, both all on one floor.   The addition contains 4 additional classrooms, including an art classroom, and additionally a work room, restrooms, and support spaces.

The six bids ranged from $1.1M to $1.25M, within 15% of each other, a fairly tight grouping, signifying a relatively clear set of drawings.  The winning bid was for $1,106,000, or about $173 per square foot, after taking out $28,000 for sitework, which is within $40,000, or 4% of the previous estimate.

The winning contractor, F. J. Arcement Construction Co. Inc., began working in June, for a contract length of 1 year, expecting to finish by June of 2016.  We look forward to working with St Charles Parish Public Schools and F. J. Arcement for the months ahead.


More information about HMS Educational Projects
More about St. Charles Parish Schools
More about FJ Arcement Construction, Inc


Wednesday, April 8, 2015

HMS Reinforces Interior Design Department, Again!

HMS welcomes Rae Ann Famiglio to our interior design department!


Rae Ann came to us as a recent graduate of the Interior Design program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and has already shown herself to be quite useful, helping with educational, commercial, ecclesiastical, and residential projects.  Along with Mary Beth, she is a vital part of HMS's Interior Design team.

More Info on Rae Ann Famiglio

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

HMS grows our Interior Design Department

HMS has bolstered our interior design department with the addition of Mary Beth Aubic, early last year.

Mary Beth came to us with extensive experience on the furniture side of the industry, which has already come in quite handy in the several projects she has already worked on at HMS.  These have varied from hotels & hospitality renovations, to extensive commercial space renovations & relocations, to aiding with the interiors portions of educational, medical, ecclesiastical, and residential projects.  Mary Beth has proven to be quite a capable member of the HMS team, and we look forward to many years of working with her.

More Info on Mary Beth Aubic



Saturday, March 7, 2015

HMS Celebrates 19 years

This month, HMS Architects celebrates the 19th anniversary of the 1996 founding of the firm.

Thank you to all of our clients, partners, staff, and former staff for helping us make HMS architects the successful firm that it is.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Metairie Manor IV Independent Living Senior Housing Complete

Metairie Manor IV, managed by Christopher Homes in Metairie, Louisiana, was completed in the fall of 2014. The building is designed for much needed independent elderly housing for the New Orleans area. HMS was given the opportunity to design the project, with strict guidelines from FEMA. This new 82 unit building is now adjacent to the three existing buildings in the complex. The project budget of approximately 10 million stayed on track through the end.


More about HMS-designed Residential Projects


Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Ochsner Baptist Operating Rooms Renovations Complete

Due to the broad flooding and extensive damage to the emergency systems in the building, caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Ochsner Baptist Operating building lay vacant until the Laboratory and Pharmaceutical renovations in 2008. Patient use gradually increased every year until 2011 when Ochsner approached HMS Architects to help relocate the Lab and Pharmacy spaces back into the main building.  The renovations to the four operating rooms, consisted of new medical gases, new electrical and mechanical systems and bringing the infrastructure back up to current standards. 



More about HMS-designed clinics and other Healthcare Projects
More about Ochsner Baptist Hospital


Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Hahnville High School New Classroom Wing Completed

The new Hahnville High School Classroom Wing Addition serves as an infill classroom building. It was completed in May 2014 with a total cost of $6,717,000, which was under the bidding budget of $7.3 million. It is the eighth building on the campus and the fourth classroom building. The 36,632 square foot facility contains 21 classrooms. The building projects over a retaining pond due to the building size needed to accommodate all of the programs. Several of the classrooms are specialty classrooms which include art, drama, drafting, a special education living suite, a sensory classroom and a computer lab. Thank you to Lamar Contractors for your time and energy!


More about Hahnville High School
More about St Charles Parish Public Schools

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Ochsner Health Center Mid-City Opens

The Ochsner Health Center, located in the neighborhood development of the Mid-City Market, was completed with a total cost of $290,000. The approximately 4,000 square foot walk in clinic consists of seven exam rooms, a laboratory and a triage area.  Satellite clinics by Ochsner, are being established in the New Orleans community to aid the neighborhoods medical services.  This facility provides primary care for every member of the family.



More about HMS-designed clinics and other Healthcare Projects
More about the Ochsner Health Clinic Mid-City


Monday, September 22, 2014

Nate Walker Gets Licensed



Nate Walker, RA, LEED AP has recently completed all of his Intern Development Program (IDP) training, and successfully passed all of his Architectural Registration Examinations (ARE). Nate's path to becoming a licensed architect is now complete. Nate becomes the tenth licensed architect at HMS Architects. All of us at HMS Architects congratulate Nate on this accomplishment!

More information on Nate Walker, RA, LEED AP

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Construction underway for the Tulane Catholic Center



The Tulane Catholic Center is now under construction by F. H. Meyers construction. This three-story, 8,400 square foot building will be constructed with a rain screen siding system on structural metal studs. This building will contain a social area, a chapel with a sacristy, a conference room, two classrooms, and a small library with a study room.



Construction took about a year, starting in September of 2014, and is anticipated to take about a year to construct, for approximately 2 million dollars. 

More information about the Tulane Catholic Center





Monday, February 10, 2014

Groundbreaking held for Louisiana Pain Specialist building


Ground was broken on the new building for Louisiana pain Specialists on January 17th, 2014.  The new building, located at 3530 Houma Boulevard, will contain the 17,000+ SF offices of Louisiana Pain Specialists, as well as an additional 17,000+ square feet of available office space for other medical tenants.  The building also contains covered public parking, as well as a raised outdoor terrace.

The contractor, Striker Construction, plans to complete the building by early 2015.



More about HMS-designed clinics and other Healthcare Projects
More about Louisiana Pain Specialist Groundbreaking at the New Orleans Advocate Website
More about the Louisiana Pain Clinic