As home to an international leader in heart care, the Aurora St. Luke’s replacement heart hospital needed a design to fulfill its reputation. The client’s challenge was to create a world-class heart care experience for patients, families, physicians and staff. Kahler Slater addressed these objectives by centralizing and aligning all cardiac services and integrating the most advanced technologies, achieving a very safe patient environment and highly efficient physician and staff flow.

Built atop an existing parking structure, the heart tower consists of 12 floors with 270 beds, creating a commanding presence on the Milwaukee skyline and affording generous views of Lake Michigan. Special attention was paid to spaces for family who often wait for extended lengths of time during complex heart transplant surgeries and recovery, creating a comforting environment and a sense of privacy so they can take care of themselves while preparing to take care of their loved ones.

The top floor provides a uniquely private location for the St. Luke's inpatient oncology unit and secure bone marrow transplant facility. This eight-bed unit is designed as individual clean environments, following very strict infection control standards with utmost safety in mind for this highly immune-compromised patient population. Private visitation rooms just outside the bedrooms allow patients to visit with family and friends while in a controlled environment. As their conditions improve, patients can easily move to the adjacent step-down unit, which shares many of the staff support spaces for the transplant unit, supporting seamless continuation of care for this fragile patient population.