[feature]

Custom Millwork Makes the Difference at Dartmouth Medical School By rigel cable

the cabinets are expertly trimmed, and the soft tones of wood complement the bright and cheery yellow walls

f someone says “laboratory,” what kind of picture comes to
your mind? For many outside the fields of research, it’s an uninspiring monochrome, sterile environment, designed for practicality over comfort. Dartmouth Medical School has taken an entirely different approach to labs in the latest remodeling of its Vail building.

The result is anything but dismal. For a newcomer the space is surprisingly relaxed, smooth, and brightly colored. Drawers have beautifully finished edging, cabinets are expertly trimmed, and the soft tones of wood complement bright and cheery yellow walls.

The Vail-Remsen complex comprises two buildings at the core of the Dartmouth Medical School campus to the north of Dartmouth College. For decades the Medical School had been adjacent to a leading regional hospital, but when the new Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) was built in Lebanon, and the old Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital was demolished, it necessitated a shift on the Hanover campus. After considering whether to move all or part of its operations to the new facility, Dartmouth Medical School decided to operate on two campuses. First- and second-year students attend classes on the Hanover campus, while third- and fourth-year students study on the Lebanon campus at DHMC. Research is conducted
at both locations, and researchers tend to base themselves in the location that best works for their affiliations with Dartmouth College or DHMC.
While the state-of-the-art appearance of DHMC and its connected facilities is immediately apparent to any visitor, the Dartmouth Medical School campus has appeared to lag behind.

The exterior of the Medical School buildings still looks much the same, but “Lab renovations have been ongoing since Remsen and Vail were built,” says Dave Harris, Director of Facilities for the Medical School. “As technology changes and as new researchers and new programs come to the Medical School, we renovate individual spaces to accommodate the need.”

For the Vail project Dartmouth Medical School worked on the design with Fleck & Lewis Architects of Hanover, who have completed many projects for Dartmouth College, including nearby Sudikoff Hall. Over the last two years, the Medical School has been systematically remodeling Vail one floor at a time. These labs are undergoing a complete overhaul that includes taking everything down to the inner walls and rebuilding it all, from casework to gas lines.

Trumbull-Nelson, which had been involved with the remodeling of the fifth floor last year, won the bid for this year’s renovation project of floors one and two. Trumbull-Nelson enjoyed the challenge of completing the complex and specific casework designs developed by the Medical School team, which finishes with T-edge banding that Trumbull-Nelson completed by hand.

Each lab, although following a general outline, has been tailored to the requests of each resident researcher

“We finish our labs with wood instead of metal. It looks nicer and makes for a more pleasant place to do research,” Harris remarks. Labs across the country have high standards for casework and the casework for the Vail building had 30 or 40 nuances, according to Harris. Trumbull-Nelson was ideally suited for this project as it hosts its own in-house Millwork Shop, allowing them to execute all of the complex woodwork themselves to the exacting specifications of the Dartmouth Medical School researchers.

“Having our own Millwork Shop is unique for a contractor as it gives us more control over our projects,” says Tony Instasi, Trumbull-Nelson Project Manager for Vail. After eight months of long shifts in the Millwork Shop, the casework was finally completed. “We all work as a team here. It’s the only way to get a job done,” explains Instasi.

The new labs are vastly improved and, in addition to meeting current codes and guidelines, create a much more pleasant environment. Each lab, although following a general outline, has been tailored to the requests of each resident researcher. The finished casework is beautifully done in birch and the walls are lively in color. As workers put the final touches on the labs, offices, social alcoves, and conference rooms, they are able to admire a job well done.