Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

Overview

Recognized as a leader in treating brain, spinal cord and musculoskeletal injuries, the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago is consistently ranked as the top rehabilitation hospital in the United States by U.S. News & World Report. The 29-story, 1.2 million-square-foot facility became the first "translational" research hospital - where clinicians, scientists, innovators and technologists work in a shared space - when it opened in 2017.

We provided structural design to Gensler and HDR for the multi-use structure, which includes support spaces for patient rehabilitation, imaging and interventional suites, an intensive care unit, an infusion suite, laboratories, research space, a patient and family resource center, a conference center and a spiritual center.

Highlights

• The hospital has eight inpatient floors with a 242-bed capacity, as well as an extensive outpatient care unit, and eight levels of parking.
• The concrete and steel structure is supported on a deep-foundation system that was designed and strategically laid out to accommodate the existing ground obstructions and to address the proximity of the existing foundations of an adjacent building.
• Large diameter drilled piers and deep transfer grade beams were used to support concentric and eccentric loads from columns and core shear walls.
• High-strength concrete reinforcement and concrete strengths were specified for structural efficiency and constructability.
• The project required thoughtful analysis and collaboration with the design team to develop a column layout that reconcile the diverse program requirements of the hospital floors and the parking garage levels, while maintaining structural efficiency and minimizing column transfers.