New York Presbyterian's David H. Koch Center Opens On UES

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — New York Presbyterian's massive new addition to its Weill Cornell Medical Center campus on York Avenue and East 68th Street is now operational, the architecture firms that designed the building announced.

The David H. Koch Center opened its doors to patients at the beginning of May for ambulatory care services such as outpatient surgery, interventional radiology, diagnostic imaging and infusion services, the firms HOK, Ballinger and Pei Cobb Freed & Partners said in a press release. The center will also launch an Integrative Health and Wellbeing program that will open in June.

The new 740,000-square-foot facility is located on York Avenue between East 68th and 69th streets. The center features 12 operating suites, 6 interventional radiology procedure rooms and 11 endoscopic procedure rooms, according to a press release. Design features such as clinical care stations outside private patient rooms, the lack of basement-level treatment areas and underground valet parking are incorporated to enhance patients' experience at the hospital.

The huge facility also features a number of sustainable designs such as a green roof that can retain up to six inches of stormwater and a facade made from triple-paned insulated glazing with a slatted wood screen which reduces solar glare and heat gain inside the building.

"Every decision about the design and operation of this building was made with the patient in mind, from the quick and easy check-in to the private prep and recovery rooms, light-filled treatment areas and real-time status updates," Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian, said in a statement. "This is truly an environment that was designed for healing, and we believe it represents the future of ambulatory care."

Billionaire businessman David H. Koch contributed $100 million to the project. Koch and his brother Charles Koch own Koch Industries and are well-known for their large donations to Republican and conservative political candidates.

Photo courtesy Albert Vecerka/Esto