Renovating an operational building is always a tricky business, especially when the building is a health care facility. Consequently, remodeling the neonatal intensive care unit at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colo., required close coordination between the contractor and the hospital staff. To minimize disruption, the staff could turn on red lights if noise or vibrations became too intense, and the contractor would reschedule work whenever possible. The remodel covered 24,000 sq ft and expanded the NICU from 19 to 32 beds. It also included upgrades to the C-section operating rooms and a 10,000-sq-ft renovation to the NICU administrative offices.

The revamped facility is one of the first in the nation with LED lamps that simulate natural day and nighttime light. Studies have shown that this type of cycled lighting reduces the time infants spend on a ventilator after birth, hastens the first oral feeding and significantly shortens their stay inside the NICU.

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