Ground recently broke on a $125 million new building modernization and expansion project at Mount Sinai Queens in New York City.

An extensive planning process was conducted for the new building, involving local leaders, community groups and elected officials.

"With state-of-the-art operating rooms, an expanded emergency department, a full array of medical offices, on-site outpatient imaging, and new elevators that will allow for the better flow of patients and staff, the new Mount Sinai Queens will allow us to address the shift to outpatient care and improve the overall health of our community," said Caryn A. Schwab, executive director of Mount Sinai Queens.

The new building will feature an enlarged emergency department, to be named in recognition of a donation from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. The state-of-the art ER will feature a new imaging suite, 36 patient bays and eight observation beds. It will also feature an off-street "drive-through" ambulance bay to lessen the presence of ambulances outside the hospital.

The building will have seven new operating rooms equipped with the latest technology, alongside holding, recovery and waiting rooms. This will bring the hospital's total number of OR suites to 10.

Outpatient services will be expanded, with new primary care physicians and specialists offering an integrated, multispecialty medical practice. Integrated laboratory services will allow doctors to view blood test results before seeing patients.

The new building will also feature new boilers, chillers and emergency generators to provide for the entire campus. Changes are also being made to the existing building, with the addition of central air to all patient rooms, installation of new windows, and new cladding being applied to the existing facade to match the new building's exterior.

The rebuilding process began in August and is expected to finish in 2016. NK Architects and Davis Brody Bond are the architects and Skanska USA the builder. The expansion project is expected to add $166 million to the local economy and generate at least 460 construction-related jobs and 340 additional jobs.