Photo by Jeffrey Totaro
PinnacleHealth West Shore Hospital, Harrisburg, Pa.

For PinnacleHealth's West Shore Hospital project in Harrisburg, Pa., the team was able to complete construction of the 188,000-sq-ft facility within two years.

Through the use of building information modeling, contractors were able to prefabricate materials and expedite construction. Precast concrete was selected as the predominant material used on the building's exterior, which helped accelerate installation. All structural steel was erected in two months; 208 precast concrete panels were installed in 33 days.

The design-build effort included hiring mechanical, electrical, plumbing and sprinkler trades as design-assist subcontractors and engineers-of-record. In total, more than 50 subcontracting firms were part of the team.

Although there was no established formal agreement for integrated project delivery, the group adopted a highly collaborative approach. As a result, the project was constructed ahead of schedule and also under the established price guarantee, including $4 million left in the contingency.

With 108 private patient rooms, non-slip flooring and 42-in.-wide doors throughout, the hospital's design maximizes patient care areas. It has an emphasis on wayfinding principles to help facilitate the flow of patients and visitors.

To accommodate the facility's transition to a trauma center in the project's next phase, the hospital was designed and constructed so that each floor can be expanded horizontally with no loss of existing program space.

Similarly, all departments are designed for expansion, and patient rooms are designed for conversion to intensive-care units.

The project involved more than 1 million worker-hours and had no OSHA violations and no recordable incidents.

Health Care: Award of Merit -  PinnacleHealth West Shore Hospital, Harrisburg, Pa.

Key Players

Owner PinnacleHealth

Lead Design Firm Stantec

General Contractor Quandel Construction Group

Structural Engineer O’Donnell & Naccarato

Civil Engineering/Land Development Dawood Engineering

Casework Contractor Brightbill Industries

Electrical Edwin L. Heim Electrical

Hospital Mechanical & Plumbing McClure Co.

General Trades Performance Construction Services

Precast Concrete Contractor U.S. Concrete Precast Group

Structural Steel Contractor Stewart-Amos Steel