One of Boston’s world-renowned medical facilities recently completed a new helipad to jointly serve their own and other neighboring facilities in the Longwood Medical Area. Designed by NBBJ and constructed by Walsh Brothers, the new helipad sits 262 feet high on top of the Tower roof, more than 50 feet above the old helipad landing site. The new and improved helipad is larger and can accommodate heavier aircraft, including those used by the U.S. Coast Guard for medical emergencies from offshore sites. As part of the project, two of the existing elevators were extended two stories to reach the new helipad.

Code Red Consultants served as the code consultant, responsible for developing a detailed code report documenting compliance with the Massachusetts State Building Code and NFPA 418, Standard for Heliports, associated with this unique project. This report was utilized as the basis for review and approvals by the Boston Inspectional Services Department and Boston Fire Department. During construction, Code Red Consultants was also responsible for developing an NFPA 241 Construction Fire Safety Plan to assist with Fire Department and emergency responder response and to help ensure that the property and hospital patients, staff, and visitors were safe at all times.