2025 East Best Projects
Award of Merit, Small Project: Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center Emergency Department Crisis Stabilization Unit Renovation
Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center Emergency Department Crisis Stabilization Unit Renovation
Columbia, Md.
Award of Merit
Submitted by Gilbane Building
Owner: The Johns Hopkins Health System Corp.
Lead Design Firm: Cannon Design
Construction Manager at-Risk: Gilbane Building
Subcontractors: BFPE International; Caplan Brothers Inc.; CCS Inc.; Cove Electric Inc.; Dance Brothers Inc.; Elite Wall Systems; Emjay Engineering & Construction Co. Inc.; PAINTech Inc.; Royals Commercial of Maryland
To help the hospital keep pace with growing patient care needs, the team renovated and repurposed a recently decommissioned inpatient area into a dedicated 24-bed emergency department and behavioral health unit/crisis stabilization unit.
More than triple the size of the original space, the 7,000-sq-ft unit includes eight patient rooms, a private interview room, quiet space, additional showers and storage for patients’ personal belongings. The expanded capacity frees up emergency department treatment areas to support other critical needs.
Photo courtesy Gilbane Building
The initial plan to complete all underground plumbing and concrete work in a single phase was revised when the team encountered an undocumented wall. The team paused demolition until receiving confirmation that the wall could be safely removed.
Drain installation also proved problematic due to placing 2-ft by 4-ft terrazzo tiles on a flat 5:1 grade slab with no built-in depressions made achieving proper slope a complex task. The team creatively adjusted drain placement and floor buildup to ensure effective drainage while preserving the tile layout.
