NYC DDC, NYC H+H, Morrisania COVID Testing Lab
Owner: NYC Health + Hospitals, Gotham Health
Architect: BKSK Architects
Location: Bronx, NY
Construction Cost: $1.2 Million
Construction Completion: 8/2020
Starting at the peak of NYC’s COVID-19 outbreak, an emergency response, design build project was coordinated by the NYC Department of Design and Construction on behalf of the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene and NYC Health & Hospitals to increase the number of testing facilities. JFK&M was awarded two of these sites: Morrisania and Riverside.
At the Morrisania location, JFK&M provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection services working closely with BKSK Architects and the Construction Manager Jacobs. The conversion included repurposing an adjacent clinic space into a reception area and 13 testing rooms where patients are guided with electronic devices to self-administer tests. A dedicated outside air system and a negative-pressure exhaust system were seamlessly integrated into the existing facility and in a design-bid-build delivery method. The Morrisania site also required a back-up generator and a more sophisticated approach to meet the negative-pressure criteria due to an older façade with leaky windows.
Working on a tightly compressed schedule and remotely observing stay-at-home orders, the project was delivered in an 8-week timeframe and on budget, coordinating readily available products and equipment and ensuring minimal disruption to the surrounding spaces which continued operation. The Morrisania site was completed in August 2020.