Collins Family Bridge of Hope & T. Boone Pickens Cancer Hospital Renovations

Building the new Charles F. Sammons Cancer Center on the Baylor University Medical Center campus in Dallas, TX, would require a connector to the newly renovated Baylor Cancer Hospital. The architect decided to make the connection with a sky bridge linking four buildings, including the Sammons Cancer Center and the Cancer Hospital. This bridge, the Collins Family Bridge of Hope, provides passage for both pedes­trians and major utilities.
While with RLG, Mrs. Geisler and the team of structural engineers provided the design for Collins Family Bridge of Hope. There was high expectations for the reinforcement project. Below were the limitations:
The garage must remain in continuous use;
Construction must have a minimal impact on daily operations;
Reinforcement must not cause a permanent loss of parking spaces;
Reinforcement must not cause a loss of head­room; and
Reinforcing must be done in a way that mini­mizes rerouting mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems.
Even with these limitations the team was innovative and collaborative. Innovative ideas were allowed to surface and mature. Out of this setting, the innovative idea to combine three unique solutions developed. Each leg of the solution was pushed beyond the limits of traditional reinforcement proj­ects and rationally addressed to create a synergistic and innovative solution. This resulted in a very clean look to the garage. At a cost of $1.8 million, the owner was very pleased with the process and their new Bridge of Hope.