Tecton and Hartford Hospital Celebrate CESI Expansion

Tecton joined Hartford Hospital in their ribbon cutting celebration for the new expansion to the Center for Education, Simulation and Innovation (CESI). CESI is the largest simulation teaching facility in New England and a top tier facility globally.

Tecton designed the original facility and worked with Hartford Hospital and CESI leadership to expand the center’s capacity by roughly 47,000 sq. ft. The new three-story addition provides programs in medical/surgical patient rooms using hi-fidelity mannequins, de-briefing classrooms and wet tissue lab training, with future expansion capabilities for robotic, virtual reality and lap box training.

Tecton’s phased, multi-year renovations were completed while the facility remained occupied, necessitating heavy due-diligence and planning to accommodate the urban site, class and lecture schedules. The structure’s design considered not only the program’s significant amount of advanced technical equipment, but its opportunity to support the educational needs of Hartford Hospital, and the nearly 11,000 regional and national medical professionals who visit each year.

Tecton was joined on the project by Fuss & O'Neill (Civil & Environmental), Bard, Rao + Athanas Consulting Engineers (MEP), CR3 (Landscape Architecture), Szewczak Associates (Structural) and FIP Construction. The project team received the Connecticut Real Estate Exchange's Blue Ribbon Award for Best in Class Healthcare for their work in the design of this major Connecticut project.

“We have created a true destination, a center that stands on its own for its excellence and its legitimacy because of the core competencies that we have,” said Jeffrey Flaks, President and Chief Operating Officer of Hartford HealthCare.