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S. M. WILSON & CO. – ALTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

S. M. Wilson & Co. is the construction manager for Alton Memorial Hospital’s new bed
tower, which will create an enhanced patient experience and increased staff efficiency.

Relationships Built to Last

S. M. Wilson & Co. is constructing a new bed tower replacement for Alton Memorial Hospital. The company
says coordination, communication and advanced planning are vital to a healthcare project’s success.
By Kathryn Jones

W
hen Illinois’ Alton Memorial Hospital’s current
bed tower faced constrained space and had
reached its functional obsolescence, hospital offi-
cials called on St. Louis-based S. M. Wilson & Co. to construct
a new bed tower, which will create an enhanced patient expe-
rience and increase staff efficiency, the company says.
The new three-story, 89,000-square-foot tower will include
78 private rooms, a lobby and registration area, a pharmacy,
therapy areas, lab services and a new generator building.
Construction began in March 2008 and is slated to be com-
pleted in December 2009. The project is a steel-framed struc-
ture with concrete sheer walls and exterior studs, featuring a
cast stone and brick veneer skin, Project Manager Brett
Goodman says.
“The architect, Pratt Design Studio, did a good job of
blending the new tower in with the existing facilities on
the campus, because much of the brick will be the same
brick used on earlier additions,” Goodman notes. “But the
cast stone that we’re putting on the building definitely
creates some distinction.”
Patient-Centered Design
According to Bob Pratt, Pratt Design Studio CEO and design
principal, “The primary focus of the project is to consolidate
and relocate the hospital’s existing double patient rooms into
a modern facility with single-occupancy rooms focused on
patient-centered design. The major features include canted
private rooms with integral family areas, a decentralized
nursing concept and a direct connection to existing hospital
clinical areas.”
To achieve this, S. M. Wilson is attaching the new tower to
the existing facility floor-by-floor, Goodman says.
Efficient Operations
S. M. Wilson & Co. – Alton
Another major element of the project is Memorial Hospital
“the creation of a main lobby and corri- www.smwilson.com
dor that organizes and simplifies the Location: Alton, Ill.
Employees: 130
movement of patients and visitors upon Contract: Construction manager
their arrival to the hospital,” Pratt says. Scope: Replacement bed tower
“This design consolidates registration Brett Goodman, project man-
ager: “The cast stone that we’re
and pre-admission testing to one location, putting on the building definitely
directly adjacent to the main lobby.” creates some distinction.”

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