News
Joseph Totaro joins Saphire + Albarran
Joe Totaro, AIA has joined Saphire + Albarran Architecture LLC. Bringing a wealth of experience in Pharmaceutical, Science & Technology, Higher Education & Government projects, Joe will serve as project lead on several Rutgers State University projects.
Born in Sicily and emigrated to the US via England during the early 70’s, he is married with one child.
SA Long Listed in World Architecture News (WAN) Healthcare Design Awards 2012
“This project expands and reorganizes an existing emergency department of a community hospital with the focus on improving the delivery of medical care. Located in a resort area near the New Jersey coast, the hospital experiences a doubling of the population it serves during the summer months. The task was to address this unique requirement while also providing for future growth.”
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SA Published in Worship Facilities / Princeton Presbyterian Church Wins Award of Excellence
Ken Ringe, 2011 vice chair of the Commercial Builders Council, says, “This project showed great use of different materials, and the expanded space took into consideration the specific needs of the congregation, as well as the design aesthetics of the surrounding community.”
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SA Published in World Architecture News (WAN) Healthcare Design Awards / AMI AtlantiCare
“This project (located in Hammonton, New Jersey) creates a new standard of care for medical imaging in an underserved area. Located in Southern New Jersey, where the area's only hospital, Kessler Hospital, was recently closed, the project establishes a state-of-the-art medical imaging center within a new Urgicare Center that is open 24 hours a day. Hammonton, New Jersey.
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SA in the news...Faith projects published in US 1 Newspaper
Rev. Smith of the Princeton Presbyterian Church in West Windsor , New Jersey reflects in today's issue of US 1 on what a modern church needs to be calling the new $1.“6 million addition by Saphire + Albarran, a place that "mixes everyone together” and dispenses with one's preconceived notion of what a church is. “A type of community center for everyone from children, to teens, to families, singles, and seniors.”
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Also in today’s issue of US 1, an article highlighting church transformations, referencing St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, “Architect Joseph Saphire, of Saphire + Albarran, based at 12 North Main Street in Pennington (www.saphirealbarran.com) included some of his signature touches, such as a “comfy” room with a gas fireplace, and glass-walled rooms to expand a narrow corridor. The auditorium can hold 200 people for a reception and offers 60 theater-style seats that pull out from the wall."
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Ocean Health Initiatives Receives the NJBIA 2012 Good Neighbor Award
Congratulations to Ocean Health Initiatives (OHI) and Saphire + Albarran Architecture on being awarded New Jersey Business & Industry Association’s 2012 Good Neighbor Award.
Located in downtown Lakewood, OHI’s new building demonstrates its continued and growing commitment to providing important social and medical services to an already underserved segment; a positive and preferred development pattern that redirects growth away from the suburbs and to the urban core and consolidates its operation to a single building and thus a smaller carbon footprint; and a commitment to building responsibly, sustainably, and in a manner that imparts a great sense of well-being and dignity to the constituents it serves.
The project consists of a two story addition over an existing outpatient clinic and provides for a pediatric clinic, a woman's health clinic, and administrative services with adult care and dental services on the ground level. The program is housed with the intent of providing greater safety and privacy to the constituents served. For example, adult care is separated from pediatrics and from women's health thus maximizing infection control within these populations.
The building is intended as a "beacon in the community" both figuratively and literally. Its bright colors and strong geometries (forms) are playful, open and inventive. Importantly, OHI embarked on this project not as a financial investment but rather as an investment in its community and those it serves.
S+A to design new Dual Chamber Hyperbaric Wound Care Center at JSUMC
Work has begun on the design of a new wound care center at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. The project will establish a regional center for wound care in the Jersey Shore area.
New Inpatient Dialysis Center at JSUMC Opens in October
This month will mark the completion of a new 12-bay dialysis center at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. The project, which opened on October 10, will greatly expand the former 3-bay center.
S+ A to Design Family Health Center at Ocean Medical Center
Work has begun on a new family health center at Ocean Medical Center in Brick, N.J. The project, which is to complete in 2012, will expand an existing medical office building and provide much needed services to the community.
S+ A Selected by Atlantic Medical Imaging to Upgrade Brick Radiology Center
S+A has been retained by AMI to upgrade a 10,000 square foot radiology center in Brick, N.J. The project involves a complete redesign of the interior space including new equipment, finishes and furnishings.
Ocean Health Initiative Opens in Lakewood
This week OHI will begin seeing patients in its newly renovated facility in Lakewood, N.J. The project provides a two story addition over an existing clinic that was renovated and remained in use during construction. The new three story structure provides 22,380 square feet of clinical and administrative space for community healthcare in the areas of adult medicine, internal medicine, dental health, gynecology/obstetrics, pediatric medicine, podiatry and social services. OHI is a federally qualified health center that provides quality and affordable healthcare in Ocean County, New Jersey.
Jane H. Booker Learning Center Receives LEED Certification
It’s official! Last week the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) awarded LEED Certification to a new 17,000 square foot childcare facility on the campus of the Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, N.J. The project represents a further greening of Meridian Health’s campus, which includes a new LEED Gold hospital.
S+A Completes Roof Repairs to Princeton Firehouse
This month Saphire + Albarran completed renovations to the Princeton Firehouse Mercer # 3 on Witherspoon Street in Princeton. The work consisted of replacing the roof and repointing and repairing associated brickwork.
S+A Completes Renovations to the Otorhinolaryngology Department at UPENN
Saphire + Albarran has completed renovations of the academic offices of Otorhinolaryngology Department at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The work included redesign of the Chairman’s and Department Administrator’s offices, research library, and the creation of a new “touch-down” space for medical students, scholars and visiting physicians.
S+A Commissioned to Design Three Projects for Penn Medicine
On the heels of the successful completion of new academic space for the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), Penn Medicine has retained Saphire + Albarran to design three new projects at the hospital. The projects include a new C-Section OR Suite for the Labor and Delivery Department; a new Ultrasound Suite for the Department of Radiology, and new academic offices for the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health.
S+A to Expand Pediatric ER at Bayshore Community Hospital in N.J.
S+A was awarded the commission to expand the existing ER department for the purpose of establishing a dedicated pediatric core. The project will add six patient bays, a new pediatric nursing core and upgraded finishes in a child friendly environment. The project is slated to open in summer 2012.
S+A to Expand Pediatric ICU at Jersey Shore University Medical Center
S+A has been retained to expand and renovate the pediatric intensive care unit at the Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, N.J. The project will add three private patient rooms to be designed with kid-friendly finishes. The project is slated to complete in fall 2012.
S+A presents to Temple University Health System’s Facilities Department
In September, Ed Albarran and Sharon McHugh gave a presentation to Temple University Health System’s facilities group on hybrid ORs. Having designed seven such projects, Saphire + Albarran was invited to speak to the facilities group on the topic as the hospital undertakes its first ever hybrid OR project.
Walter Maykowskyj joins Saphire + Albarran
Walter Maykowsky, RA, LEED AP has joined Saphire + Albarran Architecture LLC. Maykowskyj, an architect with 30 years experience heading high profile multimillion dollar projects including the New Jersey State House and State House Annex Restoration and the new Trenton Marriot Hotel and Conference Center, will serve as Project Manger for a new Health Village MOB for Meridian Health in Jackson, NJ. He will also lead the firm’s efforts in designing a scene shop addition to the Vaughn Eames Theatre at Kean University, in Union, N.J.
Saphire + Albarran earns Silver
On May 13th Saphire + Albarran celebrated its 25th anniversary. What began as a two person practice, Saphire + Albarran is now a 14- person firm with an ever growing roster of diversified clients. This year we added the University of Pennsylvania and Kean University as new higher education clients in addition to Central Jersey Oncology, Ocean Health Initiatives, and Princeton Borough. We also accepted new commissions from long-time clients, Meridian Health, Atlantic Medical Imaging, and Rutgers University leading also to the expansion of our staff in 2011.
Ed Albarran Speaks at Alliance for Action Healthcare Construction Conference
Firm Principal, Ed Albarran, was among a group of leading healthcare executives from N.J. that participated in a panel discussion on their capital construction plans for this Alliance for Action sponsored event held March 30, 2011 at the Trenton Marriot. Other speakers included Tom Biga, Chairman of the New Jersey Hospital Association; Joseph W. Devine, Senior Vice President, Kennedy Health System; Gustav E. Escher, III, Vice Chairman, New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority; Rich McGreal, Director of the Northeast Region, Merck Global Engineering Services; Dean Paranicas, President & CEO, HealthCare Institute of New Jersey, Inc.; Steven Schwarz, Director of Projects, Torcon, Inc.; Mark Sparta, Vice President of Operations, Hackensack University Medical Center; Clare Broderick, C.O.O, Birdsall Services Group; and Terrence McCarty, Senior Vice President/Division Head Healthcare Financial Services-NJH.
Meridian Jackson Health Village gains approval
A new 150,000 square foot medical office building in Jackson, New Jersey has gained approval to move forward. The project creates a new model for delivering health care services that blends the concepts of a medical office building with hotel-like concierge services to help residents better navigate the healthcare system. The building is anchored by three core service areas including a triple OR surgical center, a radiology center and a fitness center and includes such specialties as internal medicine, women’s health and pediatrics. The project is expected to break ground in the fall and complete in 2012.
AtlantiCare Health Park Hammonton to open in August
Saphire + Albarran is designing a new 8,500 square foot imaging department for AtlantiCare’s new Urgicenter in Hammonton, New Jersey. The project, which will open in August, is a joint venture between Atlantic Medical Imaging and AtlantiCare and includes spaces for emergency service CT and X-ray, MRI facilities, and a Women’s diagnostic center.
Saphire + Albarran awarded commission to design theatre addition at Kean University
Saphire + Albarran has been retained by Kean University to design an addition to the Vaughn Eames Theatre, a mid-fifties building that houses the University’s theatre, fine arts and graphic arts programs. The addition will primarily house a scene shop. The project also seeks to clarify existing circulation within and around the building and remediate air and water infiltration issues in the theatre building proper.
Saphire + Albarran goes off the grid
On Friday, March 18th, Saphire + Albarran Architecture LLC went off the grid. The move from electric to green power, which was facilitated by the installation of rooftop solar collectors to the company’s Pennington, N.J.- based building, is in keeping with the company’s commitment to sustainability. ‘We are now a wholly sustainable workplace”, said Joseph Saphire “It is important that we practice what we preach and hold ourselves to the same if not higher standards we expect of our clients when it comes to saving energy.” This year the firm was honored with the first ever “Sustainability Award” from School, Planning & Management magazine for its design of new childcare facility for Meridian Health located on the campus of the Jersey Shore University Medical Center. That project is currently pending LEED Silver certification from the United States Green Building Council.
The fourth quarter of 2010 was a particularly good one for the firm. The year was marked by many new commissions from new and existing clients and with several awards of distinction recognizing our work.
New Emergency Department for Southern Ocean Medical Center
Saphire + Albarran was selected to design a new 30,000 square foot Emergency Department for the Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, NJ. The firm bested Houston-based hospital giant WHR and Stantec for the job. The project expands and re-organizes an existing Emergency Department with an eye toward increasing functionality and improving patient comfort. A complete aesthetic upgrade on par with hospitality design standards will be undertaken to bring the hospital into brand conformance with the Meridian Health Care system of which it is now a part. The project, which kicked off in December 2010, is expected to complete in 2012.
Childcare Center for Meridian Health System garners top prize in School Planning & Management magazine’s 2010 Sustainability & Innovation Awards Program
We believe sustainability is a learned behavior. As such we designed a new childcare facility for Meridian Health with the idea of teaching today’s children how to be future stewards of the environment. The 17,000 square foot project, which is slated for LEED Silver Certification from the USGBC, is designed using modular construction techniques, making it a green machine for learning. The project was recognized in the Building as Teaching Tool category and judged “according to the mindfulness of materials, energy and environment, the design as a learning laboratory; student and community involvement; integration into the course-work; and innovative and creativeness.
Rutgers University Frelinghuysen Residence Hall receives an “Outstanding Design’ Award from American School & University magazine.
Our addition and renovation to a 1950s residence hall on Rutgers University’s historic campus received an Outstanding Design award from American School and University magazine in its 2010 Educational Interior Showcase. The design preserves the typology of the existing International Style building, by enclosing the lower level open-air space, with a transparent addition that creates new lounges, classrooms and study areas while preserving campus views to the river.
Contracts Signed for New Medical Office Building in Jackson, New Jersey
Saphire + Albarran has been selected to design a new 150,000 square foot medical office building in Jackson, New Jersey. The project is for Meridian Health System in Joint Venture with Gordon Construction. Completion is slated for October 2012
Design Underway for New Medical Office Building in Plainsboro, New Jersey
Saphire + Albarran is designing a new 40,000 square foot medical office building in Plainsboro, New Jersey. Located adjacent to the University Medical Center at Princeton’s new hospital, the facility is 100% owner occupied and is being undertaken jointly by Princeton Physicians Realty and Beacon Development Group.
Completion is slated for March 2012.
Riverview Medical Center Pediatric ER premiered in Healthcare Design magazine’s 2010 Architectural Showcase Awards Program
Saphire + Albarran is honored to receive recognition for our project in this distinguished forum that recognizes the best healthcare architecture in the country. We are humbled that this modest project, a 1697 square foot Emergency Suite and Observation Room, was signaled out by the judges for its creative solution which makes the most of program space by reducing circulation resulting in an efficient layout that increases patient comfort and privacy and reduces steps and fatigue for staff while optimizing the delivery of medical care.
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) selects Saphire + Albarran for ORL department image upgrade
Design Phase Completes for New Community Health Center and Headquarters for Ocean Health Initiatives in Lakewood, New Jersey
