The team sought a design that accommodated flexibility for equipment selection, he says. While most of the hospital was planned about three years ago, the high-tech equipment for these areas was delivered only in the past few months.

In traditional project delivery schemes, "designers would have to assume something, so they would have a fully designed room around [one] piece of equipment," says Gonzalez. When it comes time to install that multimillion-dollar machine, the electrical or chilled-water hookups could be on the wrong side of the room.

"The designers would have to get reengaged and redesign the room, and the construction team would have to do demo and start over in a lot of areas," he says.

With the job about 95% complete, the project team currently is finishing punch-list items and working on $16 million worth of exterior landscaping. Inside crews are installing a robotic pharmacy and commissioning all the mechanical and electrical systems.