Developer AST joined master tenant RWJBarnabas Health and New Brunswick Mayor James Cahill on Tuesday for a topping-off ceremony at what will be a new 229,000-square-foot ambulatory medical pavilion at 210 Somerset St. in New Brunswick — Photo by Aaron Houston/Courtesy: AST
By Joshua Burd
A new ambulatory medical pavilion in New Brunswick is on track to open by mid-2023 after stakeholders this week marked the completion of the building’s 15-story steel frame.
Its developer, AST, joined master tenant RWJBarnabas Health and New Brunswick Mayor James Cahill on Tuesday to celebrate the milestone for the 229,000-square-foot project at 210 Somerset St. The facility is slated to open in the second quarter of next year, helping to provide expanded, modernized health care services in an outpatient setting along with a new ground-floor lobby with a café and a connection to the adjacent public parking garage.
The topping-off ceremony included a beam-signing on the final piece of the building’s steel frame.
“Our track record of development success is defined by an unparalleled expertise in collaboratively designing and delivering projects that stand the test of time and reflect the needs of their local communities,” said Robert J. D’Anton, president of AST. “Our work with RWJBarnabas Health and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital exemplifies this expertise in action. We look forward to continuing to work closely with them to help the system achieve its mission of creating and sustaining healthy communities.”
Located in the heart of New Brunswick’s health care district, the project is using what AST described as cutting-edge medical space construction. The development team designed it in close collaboration with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the state’s largest academic medical center, touting features such as a striking curved glass exterior.
“The new medical pavilion expands access to the region’s top experts in a modern, more efficient setting that is optimized for both patient experience and clinical effectiveness,” said Bill Arnold, the hospital’s CEO and president. “With dramatically increased demand for sophisticated care in our centers of excellence services, like cardiovascular and neuroscience, this new facility will greatly increase our ability to address the needs in our community and provide room for growth in the future. We believe the design of the RWJUH Ambulatory Medical Pavilion will meet the needs of our expert clinicians while also redefining the patient experience.”
Torcon Inc. is overseeing construction, while Matthew Jarmel of Jarmel Kizel is providing architecture and mechanical engineering services, according to a news release. Mark A. Orsini of O’Donnell & Naccarato and Christian Roche of Langan are leading structural engineering and civil engineering, respectively, while Jones Lang LaSalle Securities has arranged financing.
Additionally, Kelso & Burgess provided legal land use services, while Greenbaum Rowe Smith & Davis LLP provided legal transactional services.
“New Brunswick’s emergence as New Jersey’s premier health care city has only been made possible through the successful collaboration of a wide range of public and private partners like AST and RWJBarnabas Health,” said Cahill, the city’s mayor. “I am deeply proud of the work that has already been done to expand access to health care through the city and I am confident that this space will become another invaluable piece of our region’s health care delivery network.”
