An iconic life sciences and technology center positioned within an expanding part of Texas, the VGXI headquarters...
Structural Design
Utilized creative shoring to maintain an existing building facade and designed a temporary walkway, skybridges, and a tunnel to connect employees and patients to other healthcare facilities
Complex Site Integration
Developed demolition plans for a century-old building within a constrained site, coordinating to maintain ongoing healthcare services at surrounding facilities during the demolition
Safety Considerations
Worked with client and project partners to understand unique patient needs, integrating safety features into the site and aligning with the hospital’s vision for the utmost standard of care
Set to be completed in late 2026, the new Behavioral Health Center at the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital is projected to be a state-of-the-art healthcare haven—offering inpatient and outpatient support for a complex array of pediatric behavioral health challenges. Kimley-Horn provided civil, structural, and parking services for this project, working to hone a safe, recovery-centric site for patients, caregivers, and providers.
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Navigating Site Constraints, Connectivity, and Patient Support
Kimley-Horn worked in collaboration with the Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, Architect of Record Bockus Payne, Design Architect CannonDesign, and other project partners to streamline integrating the new building within the existing medical campus. To create space for the new building, we developed demolition plans for a 1920s-era building located between two other hospital structures and connected by elevated walkways.
To ensure that surrounding healthcare facilities could stay operational during demolition, we leveraged creative temporary shoring to hold up the facade of one of the buildings until it could be supported by a permanent structure. Our team also designed a reconstructed temporary walkway to support pedestrian connectivity while the new children’s center and its permanent tunnel and skybridges are being constructed.
Designed to maximize space efficiency, the 172,000-square-foot behavioral health center will have three floors for patient care and a 285-space, three-floor parking garage underneath it. The project team and our client integrated protective infrastructure to prioritize patient safety while also cultivating green spaces, an elevated playground, and a half-gymnasium to support exploration and play. Our work to provide precise site design, connect pedestrians, and consider patients is on track to help the health center offer new opportunities for pediatric care in the state.
