After years of collaboration, Wise and our project partners have completed another renovation and modernization project at Boston Children’s Hospital. This work required complex interior renovations, carefully planned phasing, and major infrastructure upgrades, all delivered within a fully active hospital.
Completed between 2021 and 2025, this multi-floor, multi-phased effort focused on transforming clinical programs on different floors. The Wise team’s deep understanding of the campus’ systems and its daily operations allowed us to expertly sequence construction activities and work around ongoing care. Maintaining uninterrupted access to essential services is non-negotiable. With that in mind, Wise approached this project with a coordination-first strategy, ensuring each phase progressed efficiently while the hospital continued to operate without interruption.
Farley 4 – Therapeutic Apheresis Unit & Dialysis
TAU project team: Pat Brower, Andrew Cacciola, Chris Schena, Wes Etienne
Dialysis project team: Pat Brower, Ryan Simoneau, Andrew Cacciola, Chris Schena
On the Farley building’s 4th floor, Wise delivered a 6,000 SF phased renovation to create new dialysis and Therapeutic Apheresis Unit (TAU) suites. The work was executed in three phases—Dialysis, Temporary TAU, and final TAU—and included an eight-month effort to carefully reposition an active clinic across the floor while maintaining operations. This required building a functional telecommunications room, renovating support spaces including a lounge, utility rooms, and clinic rooms, all within a fully operational corridor during the hospital’s Epic rollout. This portion of the project demanded constant coordination, including daily check-ins and close attention from the entire team to ensure success.
Executing this work in an occupied clinical setting required a highly strategic approach. Phase 1 involved constructing the new dialysis suite adjacent to the temporary active unit, followed by a carefully coordinated transition that enabled Phase 2 construction of the TAU space. To support this sequencing, the team completed enablement work to create a temporary home for TAU, allowing clinical operations to continue uninterrupted while full-gut renovations progressed nearby.
The existing conditions added another layer of complexity. A portion of the new dialysis space had previously been converted from a roof courtyard, resulting in low deck heights and a structural CMU wall that significantly constrained MEP and structural coordination. These limitations required close collaboration between trade partners, Wise’s in-house VDC team, and the design team to resolve conflicts in real time and maintain progress.
Another challenge with the fourth floor was that the systems across both phases were interdependent. This required extensive temporary infrastructure and precise coordination of system tie-ins to ensure that each phase could be completed without impacting hospital operations. At the center of the new Dialysis unit is a Reverse Osmosis (RO) dialysis skid, distribution system, and an upgraded equipment room, which serve as the core of the department’s operations. Delivering this system required extensive planning, iterative safety checks, and precise coordination to ensure complete patient safety. Years of preparation allowed the team to complete final tie-ins within a single anticipated one-day shutdown for a department where patients require dialysis treatments multiple times per week.
Early engagement with dialysis staff helped the team align construction activities with their operational schedules, so we could be the best possible neighbors while we built their new unit next to their active, temporary unit.
When it comes to being a good neighbor, Senior Superintendent Pat Brower always goes above and beyond. With the help of Wise’s self-performing carpenters, the team spearheaded the initiative to build a nurse station mock-up complete with full-scale framing and detailed representations of equipment so the staff could physically interact with the layout and provide feedback well before installation. Pat explains, “I thought it would be difficult for the TAU staff to imagine their new space before it was finished. I had one of our trade partners make up a ¼” plywood counter, and then one of our self-performing carpenters built the desk frame out of 2 x 4’s and sheetrock. I personally made 3D cardboard cutouts of each phone, computer and device they would have on the desk. This approach not only improved the final design but also strengthened collaboration between the project team and end users.”
Farley 8 – Pharmacy and the Center for Ambulatory Treatment and Clinical Research (CAT/CR) Infusion Clinic
Project team: Pat Brower, Ryan Simoneau, Ryan Finn, Chris Schena, Andrew Cacciola
On the 8th floor of Farley, Wise completed a 10,500 SF renovation to establish a new pharmacy and CAT/CR infusion clinic, transforming what was previously research laboratory space into a highly specialized clinical floor.
The new scope included a full buildout of their infusion department including new medical offices, 14 exam rooms, and support areas. The brand-new cleanroom pharmacy, constructed using a Grifols modular pre-manufactured system, occupies the rest of the floor. This specific location on the 8th floor was chosen because of the open area on the roof above to place the HVAC equipment required for the pharmacy’s operations.
A major project driver was the integration of new mechanical and electrical infrastructure. This included the installation of a custom dual-tunnel air handling unit on the roof, supported by new steel dunnage, along with four exhaust fans, roofing upgrades, and repairs to existing insulation systems. To support these systems, the team also ran new electrical and mechanical risers from the basement up through the building to the roof, navigating tight existing conditions to establish efficient pathways.
Coordinating rooftop equipment installation presented its own logistical challenges, particularly in a dense hospital setting where egress, safety, and emergency operations had to be carefully maintained. Early scanning and coordination with MEP trades helped identify constraints and streamline installation strategies, ensuring that critical infrastructure could be placed without disrupting hospital functions. These rooftop installations also included six separate crane picks staged from two different locations, including the main hospital traffic circle, requiring detailed planning around site access, street use, and pick sequencing for each lift.
Together, the Farley 4 and Farley 8 renovations reflect the level of coordination required to execute complex healthcare projects in active environments. From phased construction and real-time redesigns to infrastructure upgrades spanning multiple floors, the work demonstrates how thoughtful planning and collaboration can transform care spaces while maintaining uninterrupted hospital operations.
Project Collaborators:
Boston Children’s Hospital
isgenuity, LLC (architect & wall graphics)
McNamara Salvia
R.W. Sullivan Engineering (PLUMB/FP)
BR+A Consulting Engineers (MECH/ELEC/TECH)
CW Design Group
Jensen Hughes
Artwork:
L’Attitude Art Environments
Wall Graphics:
isgenuity, LLC
