Press Releases

August 12, 2002 Medical office building under construction New home for Bangor's Northeast Cardiology Associates is designed to be patient-friendly Construction is underway in Bangor, Maine, for a new medical office building for Northeast Cardiology Associates. The over-31,000-sq.-ft., two-story building has a patient-friendly ambiance and was designed by Harriman Associates, a full-service architecture and engineering firm with offices in Auburn and Portland. The new facility will give NECA's 19 cardiologists and their 100 support staff te space to consolidate services they had previously provided in four different Bangor locations. The building is lcoated in the Maine Business Engerprise Park, off Hammond Street at the I-95 exit, with construction estimated to be completed by April 2003. Edward R. Haddad, LLC, of South Freeport, Maine, is the project developer for the owern-occupied facility, and Merrill Merchants Bank of Bangor provided financing. Nickerson & O'Day, of Brewer, Maine, is the general contractor for the project. A bright, inviting ambiance "We worked closely with the physicians and staff to design a facility that was patient-friendly," said Denis L. Lemieux, AIA, Harriman Associates' project architect. "A two-story atrium at the main entrance will be bright and inviting, and sets the tone that is carried out throughout the rest of the building." "Our physicians wanted our patients to feel welcome and comfortable, as if they are at home and not in an upscale corporate office building," NECA's president, Dr. Robert Hoffmann, siad. Corridor lighting will be soft and a layout with staff offices and practice support on the second floor and patient areas on the first. The design also provides for specialized cardiac diagnostic equipment, including nuclear imaging, as well as patient consultation and education. The new site will have a patient drop-off area at the front entrance and plenty of handicapped parking spaces. The entire building will be handicapped-accessible in accordance with the latest safet and architectural guidelines. State-of-the-art technology Behind-the-scenes, NECA's new home will include the latest in computer, medical, environmental and life-safety features, including extensive state-of-the-art communications wiring and computer servier rooms, an electronically monitored and controlled heating and cooling system, and a keyless external security system which will control after-hours building access. The technical requirements of the building made working with a firm that provided both architecture and engieering an asset, according to developer Haddad. "I was able to call one person for all my questoins, whether they were for design issues or about mechanical, civil, or electrical engineering," he said. "The approach was also beneficial from a value-engineering standpoint and helped us get a high quality building within our budget." back to list