99 replies to this topic

[Stadtplan]

https://issuu.com/bo...orth_experience

[Big Frog II]

It is amazing how this complex has grown over the years.

[Austin55]

They have acquired a lot of land too. The old Kindred was acquired by Cooks last year I think. The Westchester site. Even some land to the West of Plaza Medical is theirs.

[John T Roberts]

Austin, I know you have been doing your research, but I can verify that you are correct about their land acquisition.

[Austin55]

I've heard the Dodson expansion will be 7 floors.

[johnfwd]

Are there height restrictions in the medical district?

[John T Roberts]

Yes, there are height restrictions in the Near Southside.  Most of the area is limited to 6 stories, but can go up to 10 stories by meeting certain criteria without seeking a variance.  Variances can be applied for and granted by the Urban Design Commission.  The Design Standards and Guidelines do not apply to Cook Children's Hospital.  They asked to be removed from the district and were granted that exemption. They may build anything they wish and they do not have to have their projects reviewed by a design review commission, unless they are violating the city's general zoning requirements. 

[Austin55]

I believe Justin Tower had to get a variance. 

[John T Roberts]

The variance was to go from 10 to 14 stories in the future.  However, they needed it anyway because the 10 story portion they are currently building is taller than 120 feet.  With the variance granted, they don't have to go back and get one for expanding to 14 stories.

[Austin55]

Here is an elevation shown before today's zoning commission. The building reads more like 8 floors than 7.

[Austin55]

Looks like Dodson expansion will be 134 ft tall and use a 195 ft tower crane

[Stadtplan]

Looks like Dodson expansion will be 134 ft tall and use a 195 ft tower crane

 

Austin55, great find!  

[johnfwd]

Interesting from a total height standpoint.  I'm no expert on FAA stats, but I'm guessing the 644-ft. "site elevation" means above sea level.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong.  Atop that is the 134-foot height of the proposed structure.  Which means this tower will be fairly visible from a distance.

[John T Roberts]

Yes, the 644-ft. "site elevation" is the elevation of the finish floor above sea level.  The height of the proposed structure is 134 feet, giving an elevation of the top of the building 778 feet above sea level.

[johnfwd]

Wow!  That's pretty high.  So, if the roughly eight-story structure is 134 feet, then the equivalent of a 778-ft height is a 46-story building.  That's taller than Burnett Plaza (a 40-story building, 567 feet tall).  Relative to sea level, of course.

[Austin55]

Im assuming this isnt quite taller than the main building at Cooks?

[John T Roberts]

Austin, I don't think that is the case.  I have the South Tower at 120 feet, and it is taller than the main building.  134 feet will put it at visually one floor taller than the South Tower.

[Stadtplan]

From David M. Schwarz Architects Newsletter Vol. 40.

 

 

The exterior façade construction documents are nearly complete and site excavation next to Existing Dodson has begun.  Construction is expected to be completed during the beginning of 2023. 

 

 

 

A bit older info from Vol. 37 and Vol. 38 but still interesting....

 

 

 

[Urbndwlr]

Looks like Dodson expansion will be 134 ft tall and use a 195 ft tower crane

Given that the new Harris tower is 253' tall, this will be quite a bit shorter at 134'.

 

Also, I was surprised to read that Cook Hospital is not subject to the NSS design guidelines (had heard murmurs that maybe the hospitals were all exempt somehow).

So that means this (previous post) garage design was done without their having any requirement to do something like that? 

It seems like a textbook example of garage design designed to visually screen the parking and fit in. 

 

Would love to know premium such a design costs vs a more typical, utilitarian exterior parking design (assuming identical in size).

[John T Roberts]

Urbndwlr, the new tower at Harris Methodist is only 153 feet tall when partially completed at 10 stories.  Usually, the first floor is given an elevation of 100'-0", and that is the case here.  All of the floors are then measured off of that datum. 

 

As for the Near Southside Design Standards and Guidelines, only Cook Children's Hospital is exempt from them.  They asked to be carved out of the boundaries.  All of the other hospitals have to comply with those guidelines.  The new garage was designed without them being required to disguise it and make it fit into their campus.  However, you do have to consider their design architect and master planner.  It is David Schwarz.  I doubt that he would do anything on the campus that didn't fit in, or a garage that didn't have a facade on it to disguise that it was a parking garage.  Regarding the price, I'm not a cost estimator, so I wouldn't know how much of a premium a quality design vs. a utilitarian design would run.

[Austin55]

Great find!

[Austin55]

Crane is going up for the Dodson expansion.

[rriojas71]

Is the drive through going to be on 8th or Cooper?

[John T Roberts]

I saw it going up on the way to the Downtown Walking Tour this morning.  I was going to post it, but I had some errands to run.  As soon as I arrived home from my errands, I received an invitation to go do something else.  I'm home now and I guessed that Austin would have already posted it.

[John T Roberts]

Since I have no involvement with Cook Children's Hospital except for their construction impact on Thistle Hill, I can't exactly say how their contracts with their architects are structured.  I have worked on a couple of projects in Sundance Square with David M. Schwarz, but those were much smaller projects.  Schwarz designed the exterior of these tenant spaces and we were left to do the interiors on our own.  HKS is the architect of record for the project, overall.  I would imagine that the interior design is supposed to match the existing, but I do not know if Schwarz has major, minor, or no influence on the interiors. 

 

Nitixope, since you are very knowledgeable about construction, I'm sure you are aware that the TDLR's line for "Design Firm Name" is very generic and is usually applied for the architect that signs the drawings.  Schwarz could have designed the interior, but HKS is the Architect of Record, so they would be producing the drawings and signing them for construction. 

[renamerusk]

Schwarz is the darling of a powerful local group.  I think that Schwarz influence upon FW has reached saturation and I have had enough of it personally.  Schwarz has taken FW architectural pieces and used them in other cities.  I don't know if this is industry standards or lack of imagination.

 

I am very happy that the museums did not choose Schwarz for their projects.

[John T Roberts]

Nitixope, all I know is that Schwarz is the Master Planner of the Cook Children's Hospital.  How far that contract goes, I do not know.  All of this depends on the Board of Directors of the hospital and what they have written into their contracts with the architects involved in the campus.

[Stadtplan]

I have been in several buildings on Cook campus and to be honest, was not really that impressed with the design.  There of course is an element of kid-friendliness with calming colors and graphics but it felt pretty basic.  Not quite as dated and tired as Harris Methodist but felt like "let's slap some lavender paint on it and call it good" design.  Interior design has come a long way in the last 30-years, so I'm excited to see what the Dodson Expansion brings as far as if the design standards have changed or "match existing."

 

Completely random question: does anybody else think those big plastic patient transport carts at Harris are some of the ugliest and most undignified things ever created?  Have you seen these used anywhere else? 

 

(typical)

[Austin55]

Work is definitely moving along at the garage site too. Lots of dirt flying here.

[John T Roberts]

Columns are being poured on the second floor of the Dodson Building.  Excavation has started on the parking garage.  I'm sorry that I don't have pictures, but I was driving.

[Stadtplan]

Looks like Dodson expansion will be 134 ft tall and use a 195 ft tower crane

 

Is this it?  Very impressive blue lights, I guess I never noticed how bright these were. I was driving in from the westside of town, and it felt like this tower crane was 1000' tall.  (Sorry, this photo is horrible, I didn't have time to exit and drive by up close but snapped this while driving by on the freeway.)

 

[John T Roberts]

Yes, that is the crane for the Dodson Expansion.  I noticed the blue lights on it shortly after the crane was erected.

[Stadtplan]

I was at Dodson yesterday for an appointment and snapped a couple photos.

 

 

[Austin55]

1/2 more floors to go + rooftop elements.

 

[John T Roberts]

The concrete frame has been topped out and now the first installation of the rooftop elements has started.  This is an overall view showing Thistle Hill, the earlier portion of the Dodson Clinic, and the expansion on the right.  In the foreground, the parking garage will rise.

 

cooks-const-11-28-2021 by jtrobert, on Flickr

[Stadtplan]

Posted by Dunaway on Linked In a few days ago:

 

"Congratulations to Cook Children's Health Care System on the topping out of the CCMC Dodson Expansion! The CCMC Dodson Expansion project consists of roughly 240,000 square feet of additional medical office space located directly to the west of the existing Dodson Specialty Clinic. The Dodson Specialty Clinic, which opened in 2012, houses nearly all of Cook’s outpatient clinics, doctors’ offices, and a six-operating room ambulatory surgery and imaging center.

 

Dunaway provided civil engineering, structural engineering, planning + landscape architecture, and surveying services on both the existing facility and the expansion which will provide additional capacity to the Cook Children’s main campus, allowing them to continue to add specialty clinics to serve the community."

 

 

 

[Stadtplan]

I had to stop by Cook Children's this evening and was pleasantly suprised by the Christmas lights on display.  My shaky camera phone photos do no justice (per usual, I did a slow / careful drive-by) but if you have a few minutes, it is well worth checking out on-foot.  My contact in the hospital instructed me to wait just past the main entrance valet over by those cars for about 10 minutes, so I had a perfect spot to pass the time.  It would appear there are crowd control barriers ready to be used and that loading zone by the valet is actually for picking up discharged patients and medicine but your best bet to respect the hospital operations is to park either in the (free) garage or down the block or two south by the urgent care I think there's some on-street parking, that way you can spend a few minutes walking around the front lawn not worrying about blocking traffic.  I only saw about 20 people and 10-15 cars and that was still early evening so no crazy lines which was also nice.

 

 

 

 

[John T Roberts]

There are also sporadic free on-street spaces west of 8th Ave., if you know where to find them.  My friend Kalleen suggested that I go by there to take a look, but I haven't done it.  We were also supposed to go looking at Christmas lights within the last two weeks, but that hasn't happened, either.  I have been somewhat busy at work, but I'm getting caught up.  She has been working late every evening.

[Stadtplan]

Dodson update:

[Austin55]

Looks like the garage has topped out.

 

[Stadtplan]

https://www.tdlr.tex.../TABS2023005729

 

Project Name: Cook Children's - 5 North Tower Refresh

[JBB]

I'm assuming this is a sports facility sponsored by Cook Children's and not an actual medical facility.

[elpingüino]

I had a similar thought, that Cook Children's was simply the holder of the naming rights (like Children's Health Stadium in Prosper) but that permit lists Cook's as the owner.

[Stadtplan]

I believe they have a sports medicine practice at that location. Perhaps its a way to also supplement revenue by renting while preserving their land, which could be developed at a future date for a larger hospital/clinic. Im just speculating.

[elpingüino]

It could also be related to the plans for a large new youth soccer complex. Walsh is one of the sites often mentioned. https://fortworthrep...o-pay-for-them/

[John T Roberts]

The first one is the new logo.  Yes, the font changed, but there are a few more differences.  The blue roof triangles are much more stylized with the lighter blue line and darker blue dots on top. The green text is completely eliminated.

[Stadtplan]

Curious if this is a restaurant for food service location going into Dodson?

 

https://www.tdlr.tex.../TABS2023013721

 

PROJECT

Project Name: Dodson Shell Infill

Project Number: TABS2023013721

Facility Name: Cook Children's

Location Address: 1500 Copper St.

Fort Worth, TX 76104

Location County: Tarrant

Start Date: 4/7/2023

Completion Date: 6/2/2023

Estimated Cost: $250,000

Type of Work: New Construction

Type of Funds: This project is privately funded, on private land for private use.

Scope of Work: THE SCOPE OF WORK CONSISTS OF FINISHING OUT A 1,764 SF SHELL SPACE FOR USE AS A FOOD AND DRINK SALES.

Square Footage: 1,764 ft 2

[Stadtplan]

Some sunset shots of downtown atop the new Dodson Garage:

[ramjet]

Some sunset shots of downtown atop the new Dodson Garage:

 

Those pics are spectacular!

[JBB]

Surely that isn't $34 million of work?