Case Study: SUNY Stony Brook rapidly creates emergency COVID-19 care space with Thornton Tomasetti

SUNY Stony Brook builds 255,676 ft² alternate care facility in 26 days with Thornton Tomasetti

Thornton Tomasetti was engaged by SUNY Stony Brook to help prepare for a potential surge of patients at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenge was to rapidly design and construct a 255,676-square-foot alternate care facility consisting of five temporary tents to house 1,038 beds. This had to be accomplished under an extremely accelerated schedule, amidst inclement weather, and with the added complexity of upgrading two tents mid-project to handle COVID-positive patients.

Thornton Tomasetti provided multidisciplinary civil and structural engineering services for the fast-tracked design-build project. Their solution included analyzing the tent structures for wind impact, designing stormwater management systems, and providing on-site engineering support throughout construction. The project was successfully completed in just 26 days and withstood a major storm with minimal damage. While the facility was never needed for patients, Thornton Tomasetti delivered a fully operational, climate-controlled medical site that was ready to accept patients if the hospital exceeded its capacity.

SUNY Stony Brook