Hamilton Construction renovates Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians Radiology facility

Shown (from left) are: Stephen Weinig, president of Hamilton Construction Management Corp.; Samara Tilkin, architect; Annamarie Monks, chief administrative officer of BIDMC’s Department of Radiology; and Dr. Tejas Metah, director of breast imagery at BIDMC.

Brookline, MA Hamilton Construction Management Corp. (HCMC) has unveiled its latest renovation project – the Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians (HMFP) Radiology facility. The refurbished offices are located on the 3^rd floor of 1101 Beacon St., a historic building built in 1915. The renovations are the latest major improvements to the HMFP Radiology offices, an outpatient affiliate of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). HMFP has occupied a complete wing of the historic building for more than 30 years.

Harold Brown, chairman of The Hamilton Co., which owns the building, said the competitively-bid project was a challenging but satisfying experience.

Hamilton Construction, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Hamilton Co., was hired by HMFP as both the architect and contractor on the project after winning the bid competitively. The architect Samara Tilkin, AIA said the goal of the renovation was “to accommodate a very dense program with flow of circulation while creating an elegant, calm and dignified environment for the patient experience.”

Tilkin said major upgrades were made to the electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems on the floor. A new Mitsubishi VRF cooling system was added to accommodate the heavy heat loads generated by the radiology and computer equipment. In addition to the complex scheduling needed to allow HMFP to remain operational during the project, the renovation also had to be coordinated with no negative impact to other tenants in the building, which houses 8 floors of medical offices.

“The age of the building, combined with the complex needs of modern radiology equipment, required a lot of teamwork,” said Brown. “I believe the end result is a facility that the doctors and their patients will find very accommodating.”

“HMFP at BIDMC was delighted to work with Hamilton Construction Management Corp. as both designer and builder on the renovation of a long established imaging center at 1101 Beacon St. Along with Peregrine Group as the owner’s representative, the entire team worked closely together to achieve the final project. The final design met our patient care and business objectives. Hamilton truly made the best use of the light and space and it resulted in a patient centered design. What was really remarkable was how we were able to continue operating throughout the construction. The Hamilton crew was incredibly respectful of staff and patients,” said Annamarie Monks chief administrative officer Dept. of Radiology BIDMC

To manifest a serene ambiance, Hamilton focused on a contemporary design juxtaposed within the historic setting. Maple millwork and a warm white color palette with blue and aqua accents set the tone. A highly controlled dimmable LED lighting package was engineered for maximum visual flexibility and comfort for both the radiologists and patients. A sculptural plaster wall was introduced at the reception area with an undulating monolithic wave effect lit from above. The “wave wall”, with its harmonious Zen-like beauty, is further incorporated into the space within the new state of the art 3D Imaging Mammography Suite.

“Despite the relative small footprint, this was one of the more technically challenging projects we’ve done within a historic building,” said Tilkin.

Founded in 1954 by real estate icon Harold Brown, The Hamilton Company has amassed more than $1.7 billion in residential and commercial assets in the Greater Boston area. Harold Brown, who frequently gives lectures on real estate investment, is also founder of the Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation. The Foundation allocates millions of dollars to local non-profit neighborhood groups, charities and associations. Hamilton Construction Management Corp. was incorporated as a separate business entity in 2002 with annual construction volume in excess of $50 million.