Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Bethesda, MD

With funds appropriated by Congress, President Franklin D. Roosevelt selected the present site in Bethesda, Maryland, for a new Naval medical center in July 1938. A year later, ground was broken by Rear Admiral Percival S. Rossiter, MC, USN (Ret.), with President Roosevelt laying the cornerstone of the Tower on Armistice Day, 1940. Over the ensuing decades, several improvements were made to the center, the last occurring in 1979.

New Construction

This portion of the project involved the construction of a new administrative/ medical services building (Building A) and the extension of the existing hospital (Building B). National Fire Protection participated as an integral partner in the design-build process, working closely with the fire protection engineer of record to prepare the contract documents and the specifications that were required for the project. Along with Building A and Building B, a new Patient Parking Garage was constructed, consisting of six manual dry standpipes unconnected between two fire department connections.

• Approximate square footage – 984,000 square feet (Buildings A and B)
• Approximate sprinklers – 8200
• Wet systems, standpipes, and fire pumps

Renovation Construction

Due to the realignment of Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) and Bethesda National Naval Medical Center (NNMC), the existing hospital and medical services spaces are being renovated to become a state of the art medical facility. The renovation work consists of numerous small phased areas to limit interruptions to the daily medical needs of the hospital. The renovation areas include various laboratory areas, MRI rooms, operating rooms, etc.

• Approximate total renovation square footage – approximately 1.1 million square feet (Buildings 1 through 10)
• Approximate sprinklers – 10,000
• Wet systems and remote fire hose valves, as required